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RSMSSB Agriculture Supervisor study materials
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RSMSSB Agriculture Supervisor practice questions

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Question 1Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which soil textural class generally holds the highest amount of plant-available water per unit depth?

  1. Sandy loam
  2. Silt loam Correct answer.
  3. Coarse gravel
  4. Loamy sand

Explanation

Available water capacity is greatest in medium-textured soils such as silt loam, which combine moderate porosity with adequate micropore space for retention. Sandy and gravelly soils drain too rapidly to store much water.

Question 2Agriculture Science and Crop Production

The critical period for irrigation in wheat is most closely associated with which growth stage?

  1. Physiological maturity
  2. Harvest ripeness
  3. Crown root initiation and flowering Correct answer.
  4. Late dough stage

Explanation

Wheat is most sensitive to water deficit at crown root initiation and again at flowering and grain filling, when yield components are being fixed. Moisture stress at maturity has little effect because grain formation is already complete.

Question 3Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In Rajasthan, which cropping pattern is most typical of the assured-irrigation command areas of the Indira Gandhi Canal?

  1. Pearl millet monoculture
  2. Guar–moth sole cropping
  3. Cotton–wheat rotation Correct answer.
  4. Bajra–moong rainfed sequence

Explanation

Canal command areas in the arid northwest support water-demanding rotations such as cotton in kharif followed by wheat in rabi. Rainfed tracts instead depend on drought-hardy millets and pulses.

Question 4Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A farmer wants to reduce nitrogen loss through volatilisation from surface-applied urea in a dry, alkaline soil. Which practice is most effective?

  1. Apply urea together with fresh farmyard manure on the surface
  2. Mix urea with lime before application
  3. Broadcast urea on the dry surface at midday
  4. Incorporate the urea into moist soil and irrigate lightly Correct answer.

Explanation

Volatilisation of ammonia rises when urea remains on a dry, high-pH surface, because urease hydrolysis releases ammonium that converts to ammonia gas. Mixing urea into moist soil places the ammonium where it is adsorbed and taken up rather than lost.

Question 5Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which pest is the primary vector of cotton leaf curl virus in north Indian cotton?

  1. Jassid
  2. Thrips
  3. Whitefly Correct answer.
  4. Pink bollworm

Explanation

Cotton leaf curl virus is transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in a persistent manner. Managing whitefly populations is therefore central to reducing virus spread.

Question 6Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A soil test reports 0.3 per cent organic carbon. Which interpretation is most appropriate for a cereal crop in a semi-arid region?

  1. Low; organic matter needs to be built up Correct answer.
  2. Medium; standard recommendation applies
  3. Excessive; leaching is required
  4. Very high; no organic amendment needed

Explanation

In Indian soil testing, organic carbon below about 0.5 per cent is classed as low, indicating poor organic matter status and a need for compost, green manure or residue retention. Values above roughly 0.75 per cent are rated high.

Question 7Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which method of sowing is best suited to ensure uniform plant stand of small-seeded crops like mustard under limited soil moisture?

  1. Line sowing behind a seed drill at shallow depth Correct answer.
  2. Transplanting raised seedlings
  3. Dibbling seeds at 10 cm depth
  4. Broadcasting followed by deep ploughing

Explanation

Shallow line sowing with a seed drill places small seeds at uniform depth and spacing where moisture is adequate for germination. Very deep placement or random broadcasting gives uneven emergence.

Question 8Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In crop rotation planning, which sequence best reduces buildup of a soil-borne pathogen specific to one crop family?

  1. Two crops of the same family in succession
  2. Cereal after a legume of a different family Correct answer.
  3. Continuous sole cropping of the susceptible crop
  4. Same crop repeated for three seasons

Explanation

Rotating with a crop from an unrelated family starves the pathogen of its host and interrupts its life cycle in the soil. Repeated cropping of the same or related species allows inoculum to multiply.

Question 9Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which of the following is a kharif fodder crop commonly grown in Rajasthan for green fodder?

  1. Oat
  2. Sorghum Correct answer.
  3. Mustard
  4. Berseem

Explanation

Sorghum is a warm-season kharif fodder widely grown for green forage in Rajasthan. Berseem, oat and mustard are rabi season crops.

Question 10Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A field shows patches of stunted plants with yellowing between veins on young leaves, and soil pH is 8.4. Which micronutrient deficiency is most likely?

  1. Copper
  2. Molybdenum
  3. Zinc Correct answer.
  4. Chlorine

Explanation

Zinc deficiency is common in high-pH, calcareous soils and appears as interveinal chlorosis on younger leaves with stunted growth. Raising pH reduces zinc availability, so alkaline soils are especially prone.

Question 11Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which type of seed is classified as a breeder seed?

  1. Seed produced by the originating breeder or institution from the nucleus stock Correct answer.
  2. Seed certified after two field generations
  3. Seed retained from the previous harvest for sowing
  4. Seed multiplied by farmers for local sale

Explanation

Breeder seed is the initial generation produced under the direct control of the plant breeder and is the source for further multiplication. It is the first step in the formal seed chain.

Question 12Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which factor most directly determines the germination percentage of a seed lot in a standard laboratory test?

  1. Weight of the seed lot
  2. Moisture content of the storage godown
  3. Colour of the seed coat
  4. Proportion of seeds producing normal seedlings under specified conditions Correct answer.

Explanation

Germination percentage is calculated as the number of normal seedlings produced divided by the number of seeds tested, expressed as a percentage. Only normal seedlings capable of establishing a plant are counted.

Question 13Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which plant growth regulator is applied to cotton to restrict excessive vegetative growth and promote boll retention?

  1. Ethephon used at squaring
  2. Gibberellic acid
  3. Indole-3-acetic acid
  4. Mepiquat chloride Correct answer.

Explanation

Mepiquat chloride is a growth retardant that suppresses internode elongation and directs assimilates toward bolls. Gibberellic acid and auxins promote rather than restrain vegetative growth.

Question 14Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In a crop field, the ratio of weeds to crop plants in terms of water and nutrient use is best described by which statement?

  1. Weeds use less water than crops at the same biomass
  2. Weeds do not compete for light once the crop canopy closes
  3. Weeds are often more efficient competitors for nutrients and water than the crop Correct answer.
  4. Weeds compete only after crop maturity

Explanation

Many weeds have extensive root systems and rapid growth, allowing them to capture water and nutrients ahead of the crop. Competition begins early and affects yield long before canopy closure.

Question 15Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which herbicide is a selective, pre-emergence herbicide commonly used in soybean?

  1. Pendimethalin Correct answer.
  2. 2,4-D applied at flowering
  3. Paraquat applied to emerged crop
  4. Glyphosate as a directed post-emergence spray over the crop

Explanation

Pendimethalin is a dinitroaniline pre-emergence herbicide that controls grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds in soybean without injuring the crop. Non-selective herbicides applied over the crop would cause serious injury.

Question 16Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which insect order is characterised by piercing-sucking mouthparts and incomplete metamorphosis, as seen in aphids and jassids?

  1. Lepidoptera
  2. Hemiptera Correct answer.
  3. Diptera
  4. Coleoptera

Explanation

Hemiptera have piercing-sucking mouthparts and hemimetabolous development through nymphs resembling adults. The other orders listed have chewing mouthparts or complete metamorphosis.

Question 17Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A farmer observes silvery-white streaks and tiny larvae mining inside the leaflets of groundnut. Which pest is most likely responsible?

  1. White grub
  2. Pod borer
  3. Leaf miner Correct answer.
  4. Termite

Explanation

Leaf miners feed between the leaf surfaces, leaving winding silvery mines and visible larvae inside the leaf. White grubs and termites attack roots or pods below ground, and pod borers feed in pods.

Question 18Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which practice is a component of integrated pest management for a crop where an insecticide is used only as a last resort?

  1. Spraying all fields at the same date
  2. Increasing insecticide dose when pest numbers rise
  3. Scouting to estimate pest numbers against an economic threshold Correct answer.
  4. Calendar spraying at fixed intervals regardless of pest counts

Explanation

IPM relies on monitoring and economic thresholds so that chemical control is used only when pest populations justify it. Calendar or prophylactic spraying ignores pest density and encourages resistance.

Question 19Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In a cropping intensity calculation, a field grows pearl millet in kharif, mustard in rabi and moong in summer. What is the cropping intensity?

  1. 200 per cent
  2. 150 per cent
  3. 100 per cent
  4. 300 per cent Correct answer.

Explanation

Cropping intensity is the total cropped area divided by net sown area, multiplied by 100. Three crops on the same hectare in one year give 300 per cent.

Question 20Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which factor is the primary cause of the 'reclamation' requirement in saline soils?

  1. Excess soluble salts in the root zone Correct answer.
  2. Low soil temperature
  3. Deficiency of potassium
  4. Excess organic carbon

Explanation

Saline soils contain excess soluble salts that raise osmotic potential and reduce water uptake by roots. Reclamation aims to flush these salts below the root zone with good-quality water and drainage.

Question 21Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A crop grown in a soil with an electrical conductivity of the saturation extract of 8 dS/m would most likely be classified as which soil type?

  1. Strongly saline Correct answer.
  2. Sodic without salinity
  3. Normal
  4. Slightly saline

Explanation

Soils with ECe above about 4 dS/m are saline, and values around 8 dS/m fall in the strongly saline range where sensitive crops suffer yield loss. Normal soils have ECe well below 4 dS/m.

Question 22Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which irrigation method is most suitable for a sandy soil with high infiltration rate and a sensitive vegetable crop?

  1. Flood irrigation of the whole field
  2. Frequent light drip irrigation Correct answer.
  3. Basin flooding at weekly intervals
  4. Long furrow runs at wide intervals

Explanation

Sandy soils have low water-holding capacity, so frequent small applications through drip maintain moisture without deep percolation. Heavy flood or long furrow runs lose water below the root zone.

Question 23Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which of the following is the correct sequence in hybrid seed production to prevent self-pollination in a cross-pollinated crop?

  1. Open pollination of the female parent
  2. Emasculation of the female parent followed by controlled pollination Correct answer.
  3. Selfing of both parents before crossing
  4. Bagging the male parent only

Explanation

In controlled hybridisation, anthers of the female parent are removed before dehiscence and pollen from the desired male parent is transferred. Open pollination would allow unwanted pollen to set seed.

Question 24Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which agronomic practice best conserves soil moisture in a rainfed pearl millet field of western Rajasthan?

  1. Frequent shallow hoeing to dry the surface
  2. Deep ploughing after every shower
  3. Mulching with crop residue and inter-row water harvesting Correct answer.
  4. Removing all crop residue after harvest

Explanation

Residue mulch reduces evaporation and inter-row water harvesting concentrates runoff into the root zone. Removing residue or repeatedly disturbing the surface increases moisture loss.

Question 25Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which stage of crop growth is most appropriate for applying a nitrogen top dressing to irrigated wheat?

  1. During grain hardening
  2. Immediately after harvest
  3. Crown root initiation stage Correct answer.
  4. At physiological maturity

Explanation

Nitrogen top dressing at crown root initiation coincides with rapid tillering and maximum demand, so the applied nitrogen is used efficiently. Applications at maturity or after harvest cannot contribute to yield.

Question 26Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which soil-order category dominates the arid western plains of Rajasthan where pearl millet is the principal kharif crop?

  1. Histosols
  2. Vertisols
  3. Gelisols
  4. Aridisols Correct answer.

Explanation

Aridisols are soils of arid regions with low organic matter, weak horizon development and accumulation of calcium carbonate, which matches the sandy western plains of Rajasthan. Vertisols are cracking clay soils of wetter basalt regions, Histosols are organic peats and Gelisols are permanently frozen soils.

Question 27Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A seed lot of wheat shows 92 per cent purity and 85 per cent germination in the laboratory. What is its pure live seed (PLS) percentage?

  1. 78.2 per cent Correct answer.
  2. 85.0 per cent
  3. 88.5 per cent
  4. 92.0 per cent

Explanation

Pure live seed is calculated as purity percentage multiplied by germination percentage, divided by 100. Here 92 × 85 / 100 gives 78.2 per cent, which represents the fraction of the lot that is viable pure seed.

Question 28Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In wheat, the crown root initiation stage is the standard timing for which operation?

  1. Application of Muriate of potash
  2. First irrigation Correct answer.
  3. Spraying of 2,4-D for broadleaf weeds
  4. Harvesting

Explanation

Crown root initiation occurs about 20 to 25 days after sowing, when the first nodal roots form just below the soil surface. This is the most critical stage for the first irrigation, since moisture stress at this point sharply reduces tillering and yield.

Question 29Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which cropping system is classically described as 'double cropping' in a canal command area of Rajasthan?

  1. Sole wheat grown year after year on the same field
  2. Pearl millet in kharif followed by wheat in rabi on the same field Correct answer.
  3. Pearl millet intercropped with moong in the same season
  4. Pearl millet grown as a sole crop with the field left fallow afterwards

Explanation

Double cropping means raising two crops in sequence on the same piece of land within one agricultural year. A kharif pearl millet crop followed by a rabi wheat crop on the same field fits this definition exactly.

Question 30Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A farmer wants to raise a green-manure crop that fixes atmospheric nitrogen before transplanting a lowland paddy. Which crop is most appropriate?

  1. Sesbania aculeata (dhaincha) Correct answer.
  2. Sorghum bicolor
  3. Triticum aestivum
  4. Brassica juncea

Explanation

Sesbania aculeata is a fast-growing legume that nodulates and fixes nitrogen, and it is incorporated into the soil about 45 to 50 days after sowing to serve as green manure for paddy. Sorghum, mustard and wheat are non-leguminous grain crops that do not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Question 31Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which practice best controls the parasitic weed Cuscuta (dodder) in a berseem fodder field?

  1. Increasing the seed rate of berseem to smother the weed
  2. Applying a pre-emergence herbicide of the dinitroaniline group
  3. Sowing certified dodder-free berseem seed and removing infested plants early Correct answer.
  4. Flooding the field for a week after each cut

Explanation

Cuscuta spreads mainly through contaminated seed and vegetative fragments, so using certified clean seed is the primary preventive measure. Early removal of infested berseem plants before the parasite flowers prevents further spread within the field.

Question 32Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which of the following is a long-duration sugarcane variety characteristic that determines its suitability for the sub-tropical belt of Rajasthan?

  1. High susceptibility to red rot
  2. Very early maturity within eight months
  3. Requirement of continuous flooding
  4. Tolerance to low winter temperature with slow early growth Correct answer.

Explanation

In the sub-tropical belt, sugarcane is planted in autumn or spring and must survive cold winters, so varieties tolerant to low temperature with moderate early growth perform better. Their slower early growth is compensated by a longer grand growth period in the warm months.

Question 33Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In a crop field, the leaf area index of a healthy crop canopy at peak growth is most closely related to which process?

  1. Rate of seed dormancy breakdown
  2. Amount of soil organic carbon
  3. Depth of root penetration
  4. Interception of photosynthetically active radiation Correct answer.

Explanation

Leaf area index expresses the leaf area per unit ground area and determines how much incident photosynthetically active radiation the canopy intercepts. Higher interception up to an optimum increases dry-matter accumulation and yield.

Question 34Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A soil sample from a Rajasthan field shows pH 8.9 with a high exchangeable sodium percentage. Which amendment is most appropriate?

  1. Urea
  2. Single superphosphate
  3. Gypsum Correct answer.
  4. Muriate of potash

Explanation

High pH together with a high exchangeable sodium percentage indicates sodic soil, where sodium dominates the exchange complex. Gypsum supplies calcium that replaces exchangeable sodium, and the sodium is then leached out with good-quality irrigation water.

Question 35Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which fertilizer application method is most suitable for a standing irrigated wheat crop at the first top-dressing stage?

  1. Placing the full dose in the seed furrow at sowing
  2. Broadcasting urea uniformly and immediately irrigating Correct answer.
  3. Mixing urea into the soil before sowing
  4. Applying urea as a foliar spray at 10 per cent concentration

Explanation

Top dressing at crown root initiation is done by broadcasting urea evenly over the moist field, followed by light irrigation so that the nitrogen moves into the root zone. Placing the full nitrogen dose with the seed at sowing risks salt injury to germinating seedlings.

Question 36Agriculture Science and Crop Production

In hybrid seed production of a cross-pollinated crop, which step is performed before the pollen parent is allowed to shed pollen onto the seed parent?

  1. Spraying of a fungicide on the pollen parent
  2. Emasculation of the seed parent followed by bagging Correct answer.
  3. Detasseling of the seed parent after pollen shedding
  4. Harvesting of the seed parent before anthesis

Explanation

To produce hybrid seed, the female parent must be prevented from self-pollination before the male parent sheds pollen. Emasculation removes the anthers, and bagging excludes foreign pollen until controlled pollination is done.

Question 37Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which insect pest causes 'dead hearts' in transplanted rice by boring into the central shoot?

  1. Brown plant hopper
  2. Rice leaf folder
  3. Yellow stem borer Correct answer.
  4. Rice gall midge

Explanation

Yellow stem borer larvae bore into the central shoot of the rice plant, killing the growing point so that the central leaf dries and forms a dead heart in the vegetative stage. Brown plant hopper and leaf folder feed on sap or leaf tissue without producing dead hearts.

Question 38Agriculture Science and Crop Production

A farmer wants to store wheat grain safely for six months in a rural godown. Which grain moisture level is generally considered safe for such storage?

  1. About 15 to 16 per cent
  2. About 10 to 12 per cent Correct answer.
  3. About 22 to 24 per cent
  4. About 18 to 20 per cent

Explanation

Wheat grain stored at about 10 to 12 per cent moisture remains below the safe storage limit and resists mould and insect build-up. Above roughly 14 per cent, respiration and fungal growth increase, leading to heating and spoilage.

Question 39Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which of the following best explains why crop residue mulching conserves soil moisture in a rainfed field?

  1. It reduces evaporative loss from the soil surface and moderates soil temperature Correct answer.
  2. It increases the infiltration rate of the subsoil by loosening it
  3. It raises the water-holding capacity of the soil permanently
  4. It lowers the wilting point of the soil

Explanation

A residue mulch shades the soil surface, cutting the energy available for evaporation and buffering temperature fluctuations. This keeps more of the stored profile moisture available to the crop during dry spells.

Question 40Agriculture Science and Crop Production

Which of the following crops is a suitable catch crop grown between two main crops to utilise residual moisture and nutrients in a canal command?

  1. Moong bean Correct answer.
  2. Cotton
  3. Berseem
  4. Sugarcane

Explanation

A catch crop is a short-duration crop grown in the interval between two main crops to use residual moisture and nutrients. Moong bean matures in about 60 to 70 days and fits well between wheat harvest and the next kharif sowing.

Question 41Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which soil texture class generally holds the highest amount of plant-available water per unit depth of soil?

  1. Coarse gravel
  2. Sandy loam
  3. Loamy sand
  4. Silt loam Correct answer.

Explanation

Silt loam combines moderate clay for water retention with abundant silt for storage in fine pores, giving high available water capacity. Sands and gravels drain too freely and hold little water, so their available water is low.

Question 42Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

At field capacity, which soil water potential value is most commonly used as the upper limit of available water?

  1. -1500 kPa
  2. -3100 kPa
  3. 0 kPa
  4. -33 kPa Correct answer.

Explanation

Field capacity is conventionally taken as a matric potential near -33 kPa for many agricultural soils, the point after rapid drainage has ceased. Available water is then measured between this upper limit and the wilting point.

Question 43Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

A soil test reports 0.40 percent organic carbon. Using the standard Van Bemmelen factor, what is the approximate organic matter content?

  1. 0.23 percent
  2. 1.72 percent
  3. 0.40 percent
  4. 0.69 percent Correct answer.

Explanation

Organic matter is estimated by multiplying organic carbon by 1.724, so 0.40 multiplied by 1.724 gives about 0.69 percent. This factor assumes organic matter contains roughly 58 percent carbon.

Question 44Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which nitrogen transformation converts ammonium to nitrate in well-aerated soil?

  1. Nitrogen fixation
  2. Denitrification
  3. Ammonification
  4. Nitrification Correct answer.

Explanation

Nitrification is the aerobic microbial oxidation of ammonium to nitrite and then nitrate, carried out by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter groups. It requires oxygen and is favoured by warm, moist, well-aerated conditions.

Question 45Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which fertilizer material is the most concentrated solid source of phosphorus among the following?

  1. Single superphosphate
  2. Rock phosphate
  3. Bone meal
  4. Diammonium phosphate Correct answer.

Explanation

Diammonium phosphate contains about 46 percent P2O5 along with 18 percent nitrogen, making it the most concentrated phosphorus source listed. Single superphosphate carries only about 16 percent P2O5 because much of its mass is calcium sulphate.

Question 46Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

A crop removes 120 kg nitrogen per hectare and the soil supplies 40 kg. If applied urea is 46 percent nitrogen and 60 percent of it is recovered by the crop, what quantity of urea is needed?

  1. 435 kg per hectare
  2. 174 kg per hectare
  3. 290 kg per hectare Correct answer.
  4. 260 kg per hectare

Explanation

The fertilizer must supply 120 minus 40, that is 80 kg nitrogen. Dividing 80 by the 0.46 nitrogen content and then by the 0.60 recovery factor gives about 290 kg urea per hectare.

Question 47Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which crop is a legume capable of forming nitrogen-fixing root nodules with Rhizobium?

  1. Mustard
  2. Pearl millet
  3. Chickpea Correct answer.
  4. Maize

Explanation

Chickpea is a grain legume that forms symbiotic nodules with specific Rhizobium strains, fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Cereals and oilseeds such as pearl millet, maize and mustard lack this symbiosis.

Question 48Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which practice is the most direct agronomic measure for reclaiming a sodic soil with high exchangeable sodium?

  1. Applying gypsum followed by leaching Correct answer.
  2. Adding ammonium sulphate only
  3. Flooding with saline water
  4. Deep ploughing without amendments

Explanation

Gypsum supplies calcium that replaces exchangeable sodium on the clay complex, and the displaced sodium is then removed by leaching. This combination lowers exchangeable sodium percentage and improves soil structure.

Question 49Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which soil horizon is the zone of maximum accumulation of illuvial clay, iron or humus in a well-developed soil profile?

  1. C horizon
  2. A horizon
  3. B horizon Correct answer.
  4. R horizon

Explanation

The B horizon is the subsoil zone of illuviation where clay, iron oxides or humus accumulate after moving down from above. This accumulation gives it stronger colour and finer texture than the overlying A horizon.

Question 50Agronomy, Soil Science and Soil Fertility

Which nutrient deficiency symptom is classically described as interveinal chlorosis of younger leaves because the nutrient is immobile in the plant?

  1. Magnesium
  2. Iron Correct answer.
  3. Potassium
  4. Nitrogen

Explanation

Iron is largely immobile in plants, so deficiency appears first on young leaves as interveinal chlorosis while veins stay green. Immobile nutrients cannot be redistributed from older tissue to growing points.