Sustainable Farming Quiz

In an experiment, two pots are used:

• Pot A has ploughed and levelled soil

• Pot B has hard, compact soil.

Seeds of the same type are sown in both. After 2 weeks, only Pot A shows proper growth. What could be the most scientific explanation for this difference?

• Seeds in Pot B were not fresh.

• Water could not reach the roots in Pot B due to compact soil.

• Pot A had more sunlight than Pot B.

• The seeds in Pot A were fertilised.

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops on the same piece of land, in seasons that come one after the other. What kind of crops can be grown in rotation?

• different crops having same water requirements

• different crops having same nutrient requirements

• different crops having different nutrient requirements

• different crops having different soil-type requirements

A farmer wants to save water and avoid harming the soil while still protecting his crops from pests. Which of the following is the most suitable approach?

• Use overhead sprinkler irrigation and spray synthetic pesticides

• Use drip irrigation and natural pesticides like neem oil

• Use canal irrigation and chemical weedicides

• Use tube well irrigation and spray chemical insecticides

A group of students wants to demonstrate sustainable farming methods in their school garden. Which combination of practices should they choose to set a good example?

• Broadcasting seeds and spraying strong chemical pesticides

• Using flood irrigation and planting the same crop repeatedly

• Using drip irrigation and rotating different types of crops

• Using tube wells and synthetic fertilizers only

A farmer crossed two varieties of wheat.

• Parent 1: Grows well in dry areas, low yield •

Parent 2: Requires more water, very high yield Which feature would most preferred in the hybrid?

• Grows well in dry areas and gives high yield

• Needs more water but low yield

• Does not survive drought and gives low yield

• Same as Parent 1 in all traits

If a volcanic eruption increases the nitrogen compounds in soil, which step in the nitrogen cycle has this natural event influenced?

• Nitrification

• Nitrogen fixation (atmospheric)

• Denitrification

• Assimilation

Imagine a scenario where nitrifying bacteria in the soil are killed due to chemical pollution. Which of the following outcomes is most likely?

• Nitrogen gas will be directly used by plants

• Plants will receive more nitrogen from Rhizobium

• Ammonia will accumulate, and nitrate levels will drop

• Denitrification will increase rapidly

A graph shows germination rate (%) of seeds sown at different depths: What conclusion can you draw from this data?

• Seeds should be sown as deep as possible.

• Germination increases with depth.

• Seeds sown too deep or too shallow may not germinate well.

• Germination depends only on water, not on depth.

A school science team compares two grain storage methods: open air and airtight metallic bins. After a month, they find fungal growth only in the open-air batch. What could be the reason for this difference?

• Metallic bins reduce air contact, which limits fungal growth.

• Sunlight destroys fungi in metallic bins.

• Metallic bins release chemicals that kill fungi.

• Fungi grow only in the presence of metal.

Two farmers used different methods to protect their crops. • Farmer A used chemical pesticides. • Farmer B released ladybirds to control aphids. After a season, Farmer B's field had more bees and butterflies. What does this indicate?

• Ladybirds increased the population of other insects.

• Natural predators only control weeds, not insects

• Chemical pesticides harmed helpful insects in farm A

• Farmer A's field had better crop production