UPSC Prelims 2020 Question:

What is/are the advantage/ advantages of zero tillage in agriculture?

1. Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of previous crop. 
2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible. 
3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.
   
   

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation:

• Zero Tillage is an agricultural process that promotes conservation agriculture. In this technique, the soil is not tilled and has at least 30 percent cover over it, which could be from a previous crop.
  
  
• When wheat seeds are sown in soil using happy seeder, the rice stalks act as mulch. It not only prevents harmful gases that are released when stubbles are burnt, but also provides enhanced nutrients and improves moisture holding capacity of the soil. So, statement 1 is correct.
  
  
• Direct seeding of rice refers to the process of establishing a rice crop from seeds sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery. In this technique, pre-germinated seed are sown into a puddled soil surface (wet seeding), standing water (water seeding) or dry seeding into a prepared seedbed (dry seeding). So, statement 2 is correct.
  
  
• Since the soil is not tilled, the remnants of earlier crops store carbon and keep it from escaping as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So, statement 3 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (4) is correct.

Subject: Geography | Agriculture and Allied Sectors