PRELIMS REVISION QUIZ (DAY-08)

AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS IN INDIA

Green Revolution ➤ Food grains

White Revolution ➤ Milk & Dairy Products

Blue Revolution ➤ Fisheries and Marine produce

Pink Revolution ➤ Onions, Prawns, Meat

Silver Revolution ➤ Egg / Poultry

Round Revolution ➤ Potato

Golden Revolution ➤ Fruits, Horticulture, Honey

Grey Revolution ➤ Fertilizers

Brown Revolution ➤ Cocoa / leather / non-conventional energy

Red Revolution ➤ Tomatoes / Meat

Black Revolution ➤ Biofuels / Petroleum Production

Yellow Revolution ➤ Oil Seeds, edible Oil, especially mustard and sunflower oil

Golden Fiber Revolution ➤ Jute

Silver Fiber Revolution ➤ Cotton

RAINBOW REVOLUTION – Overall, integrated development of Agriculture and Allied Sectors

🔖 EVERGREEN REVOLUTION – Sustainable Agriculture, i.e. increasing productivity in perpetuity, without ecological harm.

DIRECT SEEDING OF RICE (DSR) TECHNIQUE

Due to labour shortage in two granary states of Punjab and Haryana, farmers are now being encouraged to adopt ‘Direct Seeding of Rice’ in place of conventional transplantation method.

In DSR, the pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine.

Benefits of DSR-better way to grow paddy

1⃣ Less labour needed than labour required in case of sowing and transplanting paddy saplings

2⃣ There is no nursery preparation or transplantation involved in this method.

3⃣ Less water is needed for irrigation

4⃣ Very little post-harvest stubble - DSR can solve the problem of air pollution due to burning of stubble post harvest

5⃣ Reduced methane emissions due to a shorter flooding period

6⃣ Faster crop maturity - DSR crops get matured 10-11 days faster-provides more time to prepare the field for the next winter

ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING (ZNBF)

• It is a method of farming where the cost of growing and harvesting plants is zero.

• It is basically a natural farming technique that uses biofertilisers and biopesticides instead of chemical-based fertilizers.

• It eliminates external inputs by using in-situ resources to rejuvenate soils.

• This means that farmers need not purchase chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides.

• As both a social and environmental programme, it aims to ensure that farming – particularly smallholder farming – is economically viable by enhancing farm biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• Zero budget natural farming requires no intensive irrigation – only 10% water and 10% electricity than what is required under chemical and organic farming.

ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING

involves four components....

1⃣ "Bijamrita", or microbial coating of seeds using cow dung and urine- based formulations

2⃣ "Jivamrita", or application of a concoction made with cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil, to multiply soil microbes

3⃣ Mulching, or applying a layer of organic material to the soil surface, to prevent water evaporation and contribute to soil humus formation

4⃣ "Waaphasa" or soil aeration through a favourable micro climate in the soil

TAL-YA ➤ water harvesting technique of Israel

The ancient Israelites used stones to collect dew from the air, but the modern ones have taken the idea further.

Tal-Ya technique recovers the morning dew from the air for watering crops where water resources are precious or scarce.

When a change of 12°C occurs, dew forms on both surfaces of the Tal Ya tray, which funnels the dew and condensation precisely to the root-zone of the plants.

SEABUCKTHORN

Seabuckthorn is a himalayan shrub which produces an orange-yellow coloured edible berry.

In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh, Lahaul- Spiti.

In Himachal Pradesh, it is locally called "chharma" and grows in the wild in Lahaul and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur.

It also grows in Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Ecological Benefits : It is a soil-binding plant which prevents soil-erosion and checks siltation in rivers.

Medicinal Benefits : widely used in Himalayan folk medicine for treating stomach, heart and skin problems. Its fruit and leaves are rich in vitamins, carotenoids and omega fatty acids.

Economic Benefits : Used in making juices, jams, nutritional capsules etc. It is an important source of fuelwood and fodder.

However, wild Seabuckthorn cannot sustainably supply raw material to the industry, it needs to be cultivated on a large scale as is being done in China.

The following question on Sea buckthorn was asked by UPSC in Civil Services Prelims-2012

[UPSC CSE-2012] Government of India encourages the cultivation of ‘sea buckthorn’. What is the importance of this plant ?

1. It helps in controlling soil erosion and in preventing desertification.
2. It is a rich source of biodiesel.
3. It has nutritional value and is well-adapted to live in cold areas of high altitudes.
4. Its timber is of great commercial value.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct ?

[A] 2, 3 and 4 only
[B] 1 and 3 only
[C] 1, 2, 3 and 4
[D] 1 only