IAS Mains Paper: Agriculture 2003
Paper-I
Section A

Write short notes in about 200 words each on any three of the following: (20 × 3 60)

Sustainable agriculture

Environmental pollution hazards to crops

Shifting cultivation and Taungya system

Fixation of phosphorus and potassium in soil

Write the characteristics and process of formation of acidic soil. What part of India is affected by acidic soils? How these soils can be cultivated for

efficient crop production

What are the losses caused by weeds? Suggest chemical control of weeds in direct sown and transplanted rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane and

soybean

Give in tabular form seeding time, seeding rate, spacing, fertilizer and average yield per hectare in India of maize, wheat, cotton, potato, pigeonpea and

groundnut for higher production

Section B

Write short notes on any three of the following in about 200 words each: (20 × 3 60)

Water harvesting and run-off recycling

Carbon: Nitrogen ratio

Law of diminishing return

Cooperative marketing and regulated market

What are the major challenges in agriculture and food security in our quest for elevating and stabilising crop yields and remunerative self-employment?

Suggest measures which can help to meet these challenges

Differentiate dryland agriculture from rainfed agriculture. Suggest soil and water conservation measures and management practices to improve

productivity in dryland areas

What is water use efficiency? Enlist the factors affecting water use efficiency. Suggest measures to increase water use efficiency in crops