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Prelims 2016 · Q83 · Crops & farming practices

Which of the following is/are the advantage/advantages of practising drip irrigation?

  1. 1.Reduction in weed
  2. 2.Reduction in soil salinity
  3. 3.Reduction in soil erosion

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer: C. Item 1 is correct: drip irrigation wets only the plant root area, so fewer weeds grow. Item 3 is correct: slow, small amounts of water do not wash away soil. Item 2 is treated as wrong in the key: drip does not reduce soil salinity in general and can leave salts at the edge of the wetted zone. So 1 and 3.

Watch for: Students think any water-saving method also fixes salinity.

Why the other options are wrong
  • A. Wrong because drip irrigation is not generally a way to reduce soil salinity.
  • B. Wrong because reduced weeds is also an advantage.
  • D. Wrong because reduced weeds and erosion are clear advantages.

Source to check: ICAR and Ministry of Agriculture, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana micro-irrigation guidelines; NCERT Class 9 Science, Chapter 'Improvement in Food Resources' (irrigation)

Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.