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Question 1Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which hardy kharif cereal is commonly grown in the rainfed black soils of Madhya Pradesh for grain and fodder?

  1. Wheat
  2. Rice
  3. Barley
  4. Sorghum Correct answer.

Explanation

Sorghum, or jowar, is a hardy kharif cereal that tolerates low rainfall and relatively shallow black soils. In Madhya Pradesh it is valued for both grain and fodder. Rice needs assured water, while wheat and barley are mainly rabi cereals.

Question 2Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In orchard management, the deliberate removal of dead, diseased, or overcrowded branches to improve light and air movement is called:

  1. Layering
  2. Blanching
  3. Grafting
  4. Pruning Correct answer.

Explanation

Pruning is the deliberate removal of selected branches to improve light penetration, air movement, and tree shape. Layering and grafting are methods of plant propagation, not branch removal. Blanching excludes light from plant parts and is unrelated to orchard canopy management.

Question 3Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which livestock species is the principal source of wool in Indian mixed farming systems?

  1. Sheep Correct answer.
  2. Pig
  3. Goat
  4. Buffalo

Explanation

Sheep are reared chiefly for wool in addition to meat and sometimes milk. Goats are kept mainly for milk, meat, and fibre such as pashmina in specific breeds, not as the principal wool source. Pigs provide pork and buffaloes are major milk animals.

Question 4Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A cotton field shows white cottony masses on stems and leaves, along with sticky honeydew and sooty mould. Which pest is most likely responsible?

  1. Leafhopper
  2. Pink bollworm
  3. Aphid
  4. Mealybug Correct answer.

Explanation

Mealybugs secrete white waxy material and honeydew, which encourages sooty mould on cotton. Pink bollworm feeds inside bolls and does not produce cottony masses on stems. Aphids produce honeydew but not the characteristic white cottony colonies described, and leafhoppers cause hopper burn rather than cottony wax.

Question 5Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A farmer records total revenue of ₹80,000 and total cost of ₹65,000 for a crop enterprise. What is the profit?

  1. ₹80,000
  2. ₹15,000 Correct answer.
  3. ₹65,000
  4. ₹1,45,000

Explanation

Profit is calculated as total revenue minus total cost, so ₹80,000 minus ₹65,000 equals ₹15,000. Adding the two figures or reporting only cost or revenue does not give profit. This simple enterprise budget helps compare crop options.

Question 6Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In agricultural extension, a small group of farmers discusses a common problem under a facilitator and decides on a practical solution. This method is called:

  1. Group discussion Correct answer.
  2. Result demonstration
  3. Method demonstration
  4. Mass campaign

Explanation

A group discussion brings farmers together to analyse a shared problem and decide on action with facilitation. Result demonstrations show the outcome of a practice, while method demonstrations teach a skill step by step. Mass campaigns use broad media or public events rather than small-group deliberation.

Question 7Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which nitrogen-management practice is most appropriate to reduce nitrate leaching in a sandy soil under intensive irrigation?

  1. Irrigate heavily immediately after every nitrogen application
  2. Keep the soil bare and uncovered between crop seasons
  3. Apply the full nitrogen dose immediately before sowing
  4. Split nitrogen and schedule irrigation Correct answer.

Explanation

Splitting nitrogen applications and scheduling irrigation according to crop demand keeps nitrate in the root zone and reduces leaching losses. A single heavy basal dose or heavy irrigation after each dose increases the risk of nitrate moving below the roots. Bare soil also increases erosion and nutrient loss.

Question 8Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which practice is most useful for managing bacterial leaf blight of rice?

  1. Use resistant varieties and balanced nitrogen Correct answer.
  2. Spray a broad-spectrum fungicide at booting
  3. Maintain continuous deep flooding until harvest
  4. Apply extra nitrogen to help plants recover

Explanation

Bacterial leaf blight is managed mainly through resistant varieties, clean seed, and balanced nitrogen nutrition. Fungicides are not effective against this bacterial disease, and excess nitrogen makes plants more susceptible. Continuous deep flooding is not a recommended control measure for the disease.

Question 9Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which irrigation method delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone through emitters and is well suited to fruit orchards?

  1. Furrow irrigation
  2. Flood irrigation
  3. Sprinkler irrigation
  4. Drip irrigation Correct answer.

Explanation

Drip irrigation applies water slowly near the root zone, reducing evaporation and wetting only the desired area. Furrow and flood irrigation distribute water over larger soil surfaces and can waste water. Sprinkler irrigation wets the canopy and a wider area rather than targeting individual root zones.

Question 10Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which feed is a good protein supplement for a dairy ration based mainly on dry straw?

  1. Maize grain
  2. Groundnut oil cake Correct answer.
  3. Rice straw
  4. Sugarcane molasses

Explanation

Groundnut oil cake is a protein-rich concentrate that helps balance a low-protein straw diet. Maize grain and sugarcane molasses are mainly energy sources, while rice straw is low in protein and digestibility. Protein supplementation supports rumen function and milk production.

Question 11Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which crop is commonly grown as a leguminous green manure and incorporated into the soil before transplanting rice?

  1. Maize
  2. Wheat
  3. Sorghum
  4. Sunn hemp Correct answer.

Explanation

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) is a fast-growing legume whose root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is sown and incorporated into the soil at about 45 to 60 days before rice transplanting, adding organic matter and roughly 40 to 60 kg of nitrogen per hectare. Maize, wheat and sorghum are non-legumes and do not fix nitrogen in this way.

Question 12Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Why should a newborn calf receive colostrum within the first hour or two after birth?

  1. It is rich in antibodies and provides passive immunity Correct answer.
  2. It is high in fibre and prevents bloat in the calf
  3. It supplies extra iron needed for haemoglobin synthesis
  4. It immediately stimulates rumen development after birth

Explanation

Colostrum is the first milk secreted after calving and is rich in immunoglobulins, especially IgG. The calf's gut can absorb these large antibody molecules only during the first few hours after birth, before gut closure, so early feeding provides passive immunity against neonatal infections. It also supplies energy, fat-soluble vitamins and minerals.

Question 13Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Mango is commercially propagated by which method?

  1. Tuber division
  2. Veneer grafting Correct answer.
  3. Stem cuttings
  4. Air layering

Explanation

Mango is cross-pollinated and highly heterozygous, so seedlings do not reproduce the parent variety true to type. Commercial planting therefore uses veneer grafting of a scion onto a seedling rootstock, with stone or epicotyl grafting also used in some regions. Cuttings and air layers root poorly or are not economical on a commercial scale.

Question 14Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A soil test shows pH 5.4 with low exchangeable calcium and magnesium. Which amendment is most appropriate?

  1. Muriate of potash
  2. Urea
  3. Gypsum
  4. Agricultural lime Correct answer.

Explanation

Agricultural lime, as calcium carbonate or dolomite, neutralises soil acidity and raises pH while also supplying calcium and magnesium. Gypsum is used mainly to reclaim sodic soils and does not raise pH appreciably. Muriate of potash and urea are fertilizers, not liming materials.

Question 15Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Powdery mildew on cucumber appears as white powdery patches on the leaves. Which treatment is most appropriate for its control?

  1. Copper oxychloride
  2. Streptomycin sulphate
  3. Metalaxyl
  4. Wettable sulphur Correct answer.

Explanation

Powdery mildew fungi grow mainly on the leaf surface, so contact protectants such as wettable sulphur are effective when applied early. Sulphur also has some eradicant action against powdery mildew. Streptomycin sulphate is an antibiotic used against bacterial diseases, and metalaxyl is effective against oomycetes such as downy mildew, not powdery mildew.

Question 16Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In a rainfed vertisol, which practice best reduces evaporation loss from the soil surface during a prolonged dry spell?

  1. Mulching the soil surface with crop residues Correct answer.
  2. Removing crop residues from the field after harvest
  3. Applying a nitrogen top dressing to the standing crop
  4. Increasing the seed rate substantially at the time of sowing

Explanation

A residue mulch shades the soil, reduces the vapour-pressure gradient at the surface and lowers evaporative loss, while also moderating soil temperature. Removing residues exposes the soil and speeds up evaporation, and increasing the seed rate or applying nitrogen has no direct effect on soil water loss.

Question 17Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

An extension worker raises a new wheat variety in a plot beside a farmer's existing crop and invites nearby farmers to compare the two. This extension method is called:

  1. Farmers' fair
  2. Result demonstration Correct answer.
  3. Campaign
  4. Method demonstration

Explanation

A result demonstration compares a new practice with the farmers' existing practice in a real field, and farmers observe the difference at harvest. A method demonstration teaches a skill step by step, while campaigns and fairs are mass-contact events rather than a comparison plot.

Question 18Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In farm management, expenditure on seed, fertilizer and casual labour is classified as:

  1. Opportunity cost
  2. Fixed cost
  3. Variable cost Correct answer.
  4. Sunk cost

Explanation

Variable costs change with the level of production and include inputs such as seed, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation and casual labour. Fixed costs, such as land rent, depreciation and permanent labour, are incurred whether or not the crop is grown. Sunk and opportunity costs are economic concepts, not the classification of these operating expenses.

Question 19Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In hybrid maize seed production, why are tassels removed from the female parent before pollen shed?

  1. To reduce the seed rate required for the female parent at the time of sowing
  2. To make the female parent mature earlier than the male parent in the field
  3. To prevent self-pollination and ensure hybrid seed set Correct answer.
  4. To increase the number of leaves and the photosynthetic area of the female plants

Explanation

In hybrid seed production, the female parent must be pollinated only by the male parent. Removing its tassels before pollen shed prevents self-pollination and ensures that the seed harvested from female rows is hybrid. Detasselling does not increase leaf number, reduce seed rate or alter maturity in the way described.

Question 20Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A seed lot of a notified variety is produced from foundation seed by a registered grower and certified by the State Seed Certification Agency. This lot belongs to which seed class?

  1. Truthfully labelled seed
  2. Certified seed Correct answer.
  3. Foundation seed
  4. Breeder seed

Explanation

Certified seed is the progeny of foundation seed and is produced by registered seed growers under the supervision of a seed certification agency. Breeder seed is produced by the originating breeder, and foundation seed is produced from breeder seed. Truthfully labelled seed carries a label of genetic purity but is not certified by the seed certification agency.

Question 21Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which pulse crop is a major rabi crop in Madhya Pradesh and fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root-nodule symbiosis with Rhizobium?

  1. Pigeon pea
  2. Black gram
  3. Chickpea Correct answer.
  4. Green gram

Explanation

Chickpea is sown as a rabi pulse in Madhya Pradesh and forms root nodules with Rhizobium, enabling biological nitrogen fixation. Pigeon pea, green gram, and black gram are predominantly kharif pulses in the state.

Question 22Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A cattle herd fed mainly on dry straw shows depraved appetite and chewing of bones. Which mineral deficiency is most likely responsible?

  1. Selenium
  2. Iron
  3. Iodine
  4. Phosphorus Correct answer.

Explanation

Phosphorus deficiency in cattle can cause pica, including bone chewing and depraved appetite, especially on low-phosphorus straw diets. Iron deficiency causes anaemia, iodine deficiency causes goitre, and selenium deficiency causes white muscle disease.

Question 23Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which vegetable is best suited for rabi cultivation in the cool winter season of Madhya Pradesh?

  1. Brinjal
  2. Okra
  3. Cucumber
  4. Cabbage Correct answer.

Explanation

Cabbage is a cool-season vegetable that performs well in the rabi winter season. Okra, brinjal, and cucumber are warm-season crops and are more suited to summer or early rainy-season planting.

Question 24Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Before sowing soybean in a field that has not previously grown soybean, why is seed inoculation with a suitable Bradyrhizobium strain recommended?

  1. To supply nitrogen directly to the crop throughout the season
  2. To increase germination by breaking hard-seededness
  3. To protect the seed against soil-borne fungal pathogens
  4. To establish nodulation and improve biological nitrogen fixation Correct answer.

Explanation

Soybean forms nitrogen-fixing nodules with Bradyrhizobium, and inoculation introduces compatible bacteria where the field lacks them. This improves biological nitrogen fixation; it does not directly supply nitrogen, control fungi, or break seed dormancy.

Question 25Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Rice leaves show spindle-shaped lesions with gray centres and brown margins, and severe infection causes neck breakage. Which disease is most consistent with these symptoms?

  1. Sheath blight
  2. Brown spot
  3. Rice blast Correct answer.
  4. Bacterial leaf blight

Explanation

Rice blast produces spindle-shaped leaf lesions with gray centres and brown margins and can cause neck blast with panicle breakage. Bacterial blight causes water-soaked stripes, sheath blight causes irregular lesions on the sheath, and brown spot causes oval brown spots.

Question 26Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In a dairy herd, which practice is most appropriate for routine detection of subclinical mastitis before milk yield and quality decline?

  1. California Mastitis Test on quarter samples Correct answer.
  2. Measuring rumen pH after milking
  3. Routine use of antibiotics in all cows
  4. Visual examination of the udder only

Explanation

The California Mastitis Test detects increased somatic cells in quarter milk and is a practical herd screening tool for subclinical mastitis. Visual inspection alone misses subclinical cases, routine antibiotics are not a detection method, and rumen pH is unrelated to udder health.

Question 27Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

An extension agency must quickly warn thousands of farmers across a district about an emerging pest outbreak. Which extension method is most suitable for this immediate wide reach?

  1. Group discussion with one village
  2. Result demonstration
  3. Individual farm visit
  4. Radio broadcast Correct answer.

Explanation

Radio broadcast is a mass-media method that can deliver a timely warning to a large, dispersed audience quickly. Individual visits and a single village discussion reach few farmers, while a result demonstration is slower and local.

Question 28Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

If only one irrigation can be given to wheat, at which stage should it be applied to minimize yield loss?

  1. At crown root initiation Correct answer.
  2. At the booting stage
  3. At the dough stage
  4. At the milk stage

Explanation

Crown root initiation, about 20–25 days after sowing, is the most critical irrigation stage for wheat and gives the largest yield benefit when water is limited. Irrigation at dough or milk stage is too late to correct early moisture stress.

Question 29Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

In continuously flooded paddy, which water-management practice most directly reduces methane emission while maintaining acceptable yield?

  1. Alternate wetting and drying of the field Correct answer.
  2. Incorporation of fresh rice straw before puddling
  3. Continuous flooding at greater depth
  4. Keeping the field saturated without drainage

Explanation

Methane is produced under anaerobic flooded conditions; alternate wetting and drying introduces aerobic periods that suppress methanogens and reduce emissions. Deeper continuous flooding and saturated no-drainage conditions remain anaerobic, and fresh straw incorporation adds methanogenic substrate.

Question 30Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A farmer repeatedly uses the same ACCase-inhibiting herbicide for Phalaris minor in wheat, and surviving plants increase each year. Which practice best delays further herbicide resistance?

  1. Increase the dose of the same herbicide each season
  2. Allow surviving weeds to set seed for the next crop
  3. Apply the same herbicide twice at shorter intervals
  4. Rotate crops and alternate herbicide modes of action Correct answer.

Explanation

Repeated use of one herbicide mode of action selects resistant weed biotypes, so integrating crop rotation with herbicides from different mode-of-action groups delays resistance. Increasing dose or frequency of the same herbicide intensifies selection, and allowing survivors to set seed multiplies resistant plants.

Question 31Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Root nodules on leguminous crops such as soybean and chickpea are formed by which group of microorganisms?

  1. Rhizobium Correct answer.
  2. Mycorrhizal fungi
  3. Azotobacter
  4. Azospirillum

Explanation

Rhizobium species infect legume roots and form nodules in which atmospheric nitrogen is reduced to ammonia by the enzyme nitrogenase. The bacteria obtain carbohydrates from the host, making the association symbiotic. Azotobacter and Azospirillum are free-living or associative nitrogen fixers that do not form root nodules.

Question 32Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which fodder crop is a rabi-season legume commonly grown for green fodder in central India?

  1. Berseem Correct answer.
  2. Sorghum
  3. Bajra
  4. Maize

Explanation

Berseem is a winter-season legume fodder that gives multiple cuts of palatable green forage. Maize, sorghum and bajra are kharif-season cereals grown mainly for fodder or grain. Including a legume fodder also improves the protein content of the ration and adds nitrogen to the soil.

Question 33Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which cattle disease is caused by a virus and is prevented by routine vaccination, with affected animals showing fever and blisters on the mouth and feet?

  1. Mastitis
  2. Foot-and-mouth disease Correct answer.
  3. Anthrax
  4. Haemorrhagic septicaemia

Explanation

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, marked by vesicles on the tongue, gums, teats and feet. It is controlled mainly by regular vaccination and movement restriction. Anthrax and haemorrhagic septicaemia are bacterial diseases, while mastitis is an inflammation of the udder often caused by bacteria.

Question 34Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Which herbicide is commonly applied as a post-emergence spray in soybean to control broadleaf weeds while the crop is growing?

  1. Glyphosate
  2. Atrazine
  3. Imazethapyr Correct answer.
  4. Pendimethalin

Explanation

Imazethapyr is absorbed by leaves and roots and controls many broadleaf weeds in soybean when sprayed post-emergence. Pendimethalin is a pre-emergence herbicide, atrazine is used mainly in maize, and glyphosate is non-selective and would also damage the soybean crop if sprayed over it.

Question 35Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A gardener wants true-to-type planting material from a superior guava tree without waiting for seedlings to bear fruit. Which propagation method is most appropriate?

  1. Root cutting
  2. Budding
  3. Seed sowing
  4. Air layering Correct answer.

Explanation

Guava is commonly propagated vegetatively by air layering, which produces a plant identical to the parent and shortens the juvenile period. Seed propagation gives variable progeny and delays fruiting. Budding is used in crops such as mango and citrus, while guava is not normally propagated by root cuttings.

Question 36Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A wheat field requires 120 kg of nitrogen per hectare. If urea contains 46% nitrogen, how much urea should be applied per hectare?

  1. 552 kg
  2. 120 kg
  3. 240 kg
  4. 261 kg Correct answer.

Explanation

The quantity of urea is calculated by dividing the required nitrogen by the nitrogen fraction in urea: 120 divided by 0.46 equals about 261 kg per hectare. Applying 120 kg of urea would supply only about 55 kg of nitrogen, and 240 kg would supply about 110 kg. The figure 552 kg comes from using an incorrect conversion factor.

Question 37Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A high-yielding dairy buffalo in late pregnancy becomes recumbent and shows muscle twitching. Which mineral is most likely deficient and should be given under veterinary advice?

  1. Calcium Correct answer.
  2. Magnesium
  3. Phosphorus
  4. Potassium

Explanation

The signs described are typical of hypocalcaemia, or milk fever, which occurs around calving when calcium demand exceeds mobilisation from bone. Treatment is intravenous calcium, given slowly and under veterinary supervision because of cardiac effects. Phosphorus and potassium deficiencies do not produce this classic periparturient picture.

Question 38Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

An extension worker wants to teach a small group of farmers the correct technique of treating seed with a biofertilizer before sowing. Which extension method is most suitable?

  1. Method demonstration Correct answer.
  2. Lecture
  3. Printed leaflet distribution
  4. Radio talk

Explanation

A method demonstration shows and explains the steps of a skill, so farmers can see the correct quantity, mixing and shade-drying of treated seed and then practise it. A lecture or radio talk can provide information but does not allow observation of the technique. A printed leaflet can remind farmers but cannot demonstrate the sequence of operations.

Question 39Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A seed lot has 98% purity and 85% germination. What is its pure live seed (PLS) percentage?

  1. 90%
  2. 83% Correct answer.
  3. 98%
  4. 95%

Explanation

Pure live seed percentage is obtained by multiplying purity by germination and dividing by 100: 98 multiplied by 85, divided by 100, equals 83.3%, approximately 83%. This value helps adjust sowing rate so that the desired number of viable seeds is planted. It is neither the average of the two figures nor simply the germination percentage.

Question 40Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A wheat variety carrying a single major resistance gene against rust loses its resistance when a new pathogen race appears. Which type of resistance is described?

  1. Vertical resistance Correct answer.
  2. Tolerance
  3. Horizontal resistance
  4. Durable resistance

Explanation

Vertical resistance is race-specific and is governed by major genes that the pathogen can overcome through mutation or recombination, producing a new virulent race. Horizontal resistance is polygenic and generally non-race-specific, so it erodes more slowly. Tolerance reduces yield loss without restricting pathogen multiplication and is not the same as major-gene resistance.

Question 41Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A newborn calf should receive colostrum within the first hour or two after birth mainly because colostrum

  1. provides live rumen microbes that start fibre digestion in the newborn calf
  2. is much richer in fat and keeps the calf warm through its first day of life
  3. carries a much higher lactose level than normal milk and gives the calf quick energy
  4. supplies antibodies that the calf cannot receive through the placenta before birth Correct answer.

Explanation

In cattle the placental barrier prevents transfer of maternal immunoglobulins to the fetus, so a calf is born with practically no circulating antibody. Colostrum supplies these antibodies, and the calf's gut can absorb intact proteins only during roughly the first day of life. Delayed first feeding therefore raises the risk of neonatal diarrhoea and septicaemia.

Question 42Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

For establishing a commercial banana plantation, the planting material normally recommended is

  1. seed extracted from fully ripe fruits of the previous crop
  2. sword suckers or tissue-cultured plantlets Correct answer.
  3. hardwood cuttings taken from the lower pseudostem
  4. air-layered side branches from the mother plant

Explanation

Commercial banana cultivars are parthenocarpic and set fruit without viable seed, so seed is not a practical planting material. Sword suckers and tissue-cultured plantlets are true-to-type, uniform and relatively free of nematodes and suckers-borne pests. Hardwood cuttings and air layers do not root dependably in banana, whose upright structure is a pseudostem of leaf sheaths.

Question 43Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Chickpea plants wilt in patches, show brown discolouration inside the root and stem, and the trouble is favoured by warm, dry soil after early sowing. The causal organism is

  1. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris Correct answer.
  2. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. cassiae
  3. Sclerotium rolfsii
  4. Botrytis cinerea

Explanation

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris is soil- and seed-borne, colonises the xylem and produces the internal brown discolouration and patchy wilting described, with warm dry soils favouring expression. Sclerotium rolfsii causes collar rot with white mycelium and mustard-seed sclerotia, whereas the Xanthomonas pathovar causes bacterial blight with water-soaked lesions.

Question 44Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Maize is sown at a row spacing of 60 cm and a plant-to-plant spacing of 20 cm. The plant population established per hectare will be about

  1. 55,555 plants
  2. 66,666 plants
  3. 33,333 plants
  4. 83,333 plants Correct answer.

Explanation

Each plant occupies 0.6 m × 0.2 m = 0.12 m² of ground. One hectare is 10,000 m², so the population is 10,000 ÷ 0.12, which comes to roughly 83,333 plants per hectare. A figure near 33,333 would correspond to a much wider spacing such as 60 cm × 50 cm.

Question 45Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

A farm enterprise in one season gives a gross return of Rs 1,20,000 against a total variable cost of Rs 80,000. The benefit-cost ratio of the enterprise is

  1. 2.00
  2. 0.50
  3. 1.50 Correct answer.
  4. 0.67

Explanation

The benefit-cost ratio is gross return divided by total cost, that is 1,20,000 ÷ 80,000 = 1.50, meaning each rupee spent returns about one and a half rupees in output value. A ratio below 1 would show that the enterprise fails to cover even its variable cost at the ruling prices.

Question 46Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

An extension programme wants farmers to learn field diagnosis and pest management by observing, experimenting and deciding within their own crop over a whole season. The most appropriate extension approach is

  1. an exhibition stall at the annual district fair
  2. a farmer field school run in the village through the season Correct answer.
  3. a radio jingle broadcast at peak listening hours
  4. a printed leaflet campaign mailed to each holding

Explanation

A farmer field school is a season-long, field-based participatory method in which a facilitated group carries out observations and simple experiments in its own crop, building diagnostic and decision-making skills. Leaflets, radio jingles and fair exhibits are one-way mass or publicity channels, better suited to simple alerts than to season-long learning of management skills.

Question 47Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

The genetic event that makes Bt cotton toxic to Helicoverpa larvae depends on the plant producing

  1. Cry proteins that bind to receptors in the larval midgut Correct answer.
  2. a volatile alarm pheromone that repels egg-laying female moths
  3. chitinase enzymes that dissolve the outer skeleton of the larva
  4. alkaloids that sterilise adult moths before they can mate

Explanation

Bt cotton carries genes from Bacillus thuringiensis that express insecticidal Cry proteins such as Cry1Ac. When a larva ingests the tissue, the protein is solubilised and cleaved in the alkaline midgut, and the active fragment binds to midgut receptors, forming pores that stop feeding and kill the insect. The action is selective, so the protein is harmless to most non-target insects and to mammals.

Question 48Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

To induce roots on stem cuttings of a difficult-to-root ornamental shrub, the basal cut end is usually dipped in a preparation of

  1. abscisic acid
  2. maleic hydrazide
  3. indole-3-butyric acid Correct answer.
  4. ethephon

Explanation

Indole-3-butyric acid is a synthetic auxin that promotes initiation of adventitious roots at the treated base of a cutting and is applied as a talc, alcohol or water dip. Concentration matters, since an excessive dose can inhibit rooting or damage the tissue. Maleic hydrazide and abscisic acid suppress growth, and ethephon acts through ethylene release rather than as a rooting auxin.

Question 49Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

When transplanted rice is repeatedly puddled in a rice-wheat rotation, the long-term consequence for the following wheat crop is usually

  1. subsurface compaction with restricted wheat root growth Correct answer.
  2. higher organic carbon because the soil becomes less aerated
  3. higher infiltration rate and lower wheat irrigation demand
  4. better aggregation with deeper wheat root penetration

Explanation

Puddling breaks down aggregates and disperses clay, and the finer particles move downward to seal the layer below the plough sole. That compacted layer reduces percolation loss under rice but restricts root development, drainage and aeration for the succeeding wheat, so wheat establishment and tillage become more difficult.

Question 50Agriculture (crop production, horticulture, plant protection, animal husbandry, agricultural economics and extension)

Urea is included in a ruminant concentrate as a cheap nitrogen source, but it must be fed with a readily fermentable carbohydrate such as molasses or grain because

  1. the carbohydrate coats urea and prevents its absorption through the rumen wall
  2. urea alone raises rumen pH sharply and causes lactic acidosis
  3. the carbohydrate supplies the urease enzyme needed to hydrolyse urea
  4. rumen microbes need energy and carbon skeletons to capture released ammonia into microbial protein Correct answer.

Explanation

Urease hydrolyses urea rapidly to ammonia in the rumen. Rumen microbes can use that ammonia only when energy and carbon skeletons are available from a fermentable carbohydrate, so pairing the two converts the nitrogen into microbial protein instead of letting ammonia accumulate. Excess ammonia absorbed into the blood can then cause toxicity, particularly when urea is given in a large single dose.