Question

UPSC Prelims 2021 Question:

Among the following, which one is the least water efficient crop?

1. Sugarcane
2. Sunflower
3. Pearl millet
4. Red gram

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 1: Sugarcane

Detailed Solution

Explanation:

Water requirement for different crops:

Crop	Duration (In Days)	Water Requirement (In mm) (Least to most)
Pulses (Red Gram)	65	350
Ragi (Finger Millet)	100	350
Bajra (Pearl Millet)	100	350
Groundnut	105	550
Maize	110	500
Cotton	165	550
Sunflower	100	800
Rice	135	1250
Sugarcane	365	2000

From above table, the sequence of crops from most water efficient to least water efficient can be written as: Pulses > Millets > Cotton > Groundnut > Sunflower > Rice > Sugarcane

Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.

Subject: Geography | Agriculture and Allied Sectors(geo)

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