ICSE Class 10 Geography Goyal Brothers Solutions Chapter 12 Agriculture in India 3: Cash Crops

ICSE Class 10 Geography Goyal Brothers Solutions Chapter 12 Agriculture in India 3: Cash Crops

Question 1.
What are the climatic conditions that favour the cultivation of cotton?
Answer:
The climatic conditions that favour the cultivation of cotton are given below:
Temperature:

• Cotton plants require mild, cool, preferably dry climate with 21° C to 27° C temperature.
• They also need plenty of sunshine.
• In the first stage at the time of fruition, warm days and cool nights are good for the development of the boll and fibre.

Rainfall:

• Cotton plants need a moderate rainfall of 50 cm to 80 cm, well distributed throughout the year.
• Stagnant water and excessive rain both are harmful to the plant.

Question 2.
Where in India does long staple cotton grow ? What are its advantages?
Answer:
In India, long staple cotton grows in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The main advantages of long staple cotton is that it is used to make fine quality cotton cloth.

Question 3.
Is dry weather necessary at the time of harvest of cotton? Why?
Answer:
Dry weather is necessary at the time of harvest of cotton because dry and hot weather help in the ripening and the bursting of the cotton balls.

Question 4.
Why is jute called the ‘brown paper’ of the wholesale trade?
Answer:
Jute is called the ‘brown paper’ bag of wholesale trade because jute fabric is widely used for wrapping many agricultural and industrial products such as rice, wheat, cotton balls, cement, fertilizer etc.

Question 5.
What are the geographical requiremenets for growing jute? Name the leading producer of jute.
Answer:
Three main climatic conditions which favour the growth of the ‘fibre crop are as follows:

• Soil :
  Jute is mostly grown in sandy and clayey loams. It also grows well on alluvial soil in the plains and deltas of rivers. The soil of these areas is renewed every year due to flood.
• Temperature:
  The jute well at higher temperature of about 34°C with high relative humidity of 80% to 90%. However, it can also grow in areas with a minimum temperature of 27° C.
• Rainfall:
  The crop requires heavy rainfall ranging between 170 cm to 200 cm during the period of growth. It cannot survive continuous drought.

Question 6.
Name the two most fibres crops of India.
Answer:
Cotton and Jute.

Question 7.
Name the different varieties of tea in India.
Answer:
Following are the different varieties of tea grown in India:

• The Green tea,
• The Black tea, and
• The Oolong tea.

Question 8.
Why is tea generally grown on the hill slopes?
Answer:
Tea is grown on hill slopes because it helps to drain the water, tea cannot tolerate stagnant water.

Question 9.
Why are the tea plants pruned?
Answer:
Pruning of the tea plant is very essential because of two reasons:

• The removal of the central stem encourages the quick development of lateral branches and periodical pruning does not allow the plant to grow more than about 40 cm.
• Pruning also help in growing new shoots bearing soft leaves in plenty.

Question 10.
Name the leading producer of tea in India. What factors have helped it to become the leading state?
Answer:
Assam is the leading producer of tea in India. The most favourable conditions with over250 cm rainfall and temperature above 20° C helped it to become the leading state.

Question 11.
Why is the plucking of tea leaves entrusted generally to women?
Answer:
Because it involve fine – plucking (two leaves and a bud) and women labourer can patiently pluck the same.

Question 12.
Name the different stages of tea processing befdre it is sent out to the market.
Answer:
There are five main stages of processing before it is packed for despatch:

• Withering :
  The gathered leaves are first withered or dried in the sun for a day or two to extract moisture.
• Rolling:
  They are then rolled mechanically between steel rollers to break up the fibres. The leaves are dried again or baked lightly over charcoal fires, until they become reddish brown in colour.
• Fermentation:
  The leaves are allowed to ferment and this reduces the amount of tannic acid in the tea by half, but does not impair its flavour.
• Drying:
  Further fermentation is checked by roasting and drying the leaves over a fire until they are black in colour.
• Blending:
  Expert blenders and tea-tasters further blend the various grades of tea to give it special aroma and make many proprietary brands.

Question 13.
Name the two main centres where tea is auctioned.
Answer:
North-East India and South India are the two main centres where tea is auctioned.

Question 14.
Why is blending necessary’ for tea?
Answer:
Blending is necessary for tea as it gives special taste and flavour.

Question 15.
Give two reasons stating the economic importance of the tea industry.
Answer:
The economic importance of the tea industry’ in India are as follows:

• Being a largest producer of tea, India earns a major part of foreign exchange by the export of tea.
• Tea plantation and industry employ millions of men and women.
• The tea industry supports fertilizer, plywood and transport industries.

Question 16.
Name two important regions where tea is grown in South India.
Answer:
In South India, tea is grown in Nilgiri and Palni.

Question 17.
Name the two main varieties of coffee grown in India.
Answer:
Two main varieties of coffee grown in India are:

• Coffea arabica
• Coffea robust

Question 18.
Why are young coffee plants protected from heat?
Answer:
The young coffee plants are protected from heat because the direct rays of the sun are injurious to the coffee plant.

Question 19.
State three factors which favour the cultivation of coffee in South India. Name the leading producer of coffee in India.
Answer:
Three factors which favour the cultivation of coffee in South India are as follows:

• Well-drained volcanic soil with sufficient humus.
• Sufficient rainfall distributed throughout the year.
• Hot and humid climate with moderate temperature.
  Karnataka is the leading producer of coffee in India.

Question 20.
State one climatic and one commercial problem that coffee cultivation in India faces.
Answer:
Problems of coffee cultivation in India :

• Dry weather, high temperature, long droughts and unseasonal rainfall are harmful for coffee plants.
• The present yield of coffee per hectare is very low.

Question 21.
Name the different methods by which sugarcane can be propagated.
Answer:

• Sett Method
• Ratooning

Question 22.
State the leading producer of sugarcane in India.
Answer:
Uttar Pradesh is the leading producer of sugarcane in India.

Question 23.
What are the advantages of ‘Ratooning’?
Answer:
Advantages of Ratoon Cropping:

• Expenditure of preparing the fields and planting is saved. Therefore, cost of cultivation becomes much lower.
• Ratoon mature earlier.

Question 24.
Give two problems the farmers of north India face during sugarcane cultivation.
Answer:
The farmers who grow sugarcane in North India have to face the following problems:

• Being a soil-exhausting crop, a large quantity of manure is required in sugarcane farm.
• Cultivation of sugarcane on small lands proves to be uneconomical for the farmers.
• The sugar content of the cane decreases substantially, if it is not reached to the factory for crushing within 48 hours.
• Irrespective of its quality the price of sugarcane is fixed by the government. Therefore, the farmers are not likely to get any incentive of a good quality crop.

Question 25.
What advantage does the Deccan region have over the north with reference to sugarcane cultivation?
Answer:
The yield of sugarcane is higher in the Deccan due to following reasons:

• Favourable geographical conditions, and
• The use of modem scientific method of cultivation.

Question 26.
Name a few diseases that sugarcane plant is susceptible to.
Answer:
Fungal diseases like red rot, smut, rus and ratoon stunting are few diseases that sugarcane plant is susceptible to.

Question 27.
Name a few important oil-seeds grown in India.
Answer:
Five oilseeds gown in India are-Mustard, Coconut, Sunflower, Groundnut and Soyabean.

Question 28.
State the economic importance of oilseeds.
Answer:
The economic importance of oilseeds are as follows:

• As an agricultural product, oilseeds stands next in importance to cereals. So, they play an important role in the Indian economy.
• Vegetable oil is an essential part of our diet. More than 80% of the vegetable oil produced is used as food.
• Vegetable oil, e.g. linseed oil is used for industrial purposes such as paints, varnishes, lubricants etc.
• The oil industry, both on small and large scale, is a major source of employment.
• Oil cake, obtained as the by-product after the extraction of oil, is used as cattle feed and also as fertilizer for many crops such as cotton, tea, tobacco etc.

Question 29.
What is an oil cake ? How is it used?
Answer:
Oil cake is the residue of the soil seeds from which the oil has been extracted.
This residue of oil is used as cattle feed and manure.

Question 30.
Name the non-edible oilseeds. Why are they so called?
Answer:
Castor, Linseed, neem and mahua are the non-edible oil seeds. They are called non-edible oil seeds because these seeds cannot be used as part of our diet and are only used for producing industrial oils and other commercial products.

Question 31.
Give the geographical conditions necessary for the growth of groundnuts. Name its leading producer.
Answer:
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh are the leading producers of groundnut.
Following geographical conditions are necessary for the growth of groundnuts.
Soil:
Groundnuts grow well in light sandy soil.
Temperature :
Groundnut requires about 20° C to 25° C temperature. Dry weather is needed during the time of ripening.
Rainfall:
Groundnuts require light to moderate rainfall between 50 to 100 cm. Rainfall should be well distributed.

Question 32.
Name the by-products of sugarcane: Give one important use of each. [1991]
Answer:
The two by-products of sugarcane are Molasses, Bagasse and their industrial uses are as follows:
Molasses:
It can be used in the manufacture of rum, fertilizers, chemicals, cattle feed.
Bagasse:
It can be used for making paper, cardboard.

Question 33.
Why are floods beneficial for better growth of jute?
Answer:
If the area is flooded, the plants are uprooted, otherwise cut to ground length that is why floods are beneficial for better growth of jute.

Question 34.
Explain the following terms. With which crop do you associate them ?
(a) Ginning
(b) Retting
(c) Clonal planting
(d) Ratooning
(e) Fine Plucking
(f) Bud grafting
Answer:
(a) Ginning :
Ginning is a process in which cotton seeds is associated with cotton crop.

(b) Retting:
Retting is microbiological process involved in the processing of jute plant in which the outer bark of the stalk has been made loosen so as to make it easier to remove the fibers from the stalk. It is associated with cotton crop.

(c) Clonal planting:
Clonal planting is associated with tea. In this process, cuttings are taken from the mother plant and grown to produce tea shrubs been deserved to yield the same superior quality as that of the mother plant.

(d) Rotooning:
Rotooning is a method used for growing sugarcane in which the already grown cane is cut close to the ground. After few days the plant begin to grow again and produced a second crop known as ratoon. It is associated with sugarcane crop.

(e) Fine Plucking:
The finest tea is obtained from the young shoots comprising two leaves and a bud known as the fine Plucking. Fine plucking associated with tea.

(f) Bud grafting:
The bud from a good rubber tree is grafted on the seeding of a new rubber tree, once the bud starts sprouting the shoot from the seeding is cut down and the bud then grows into a tree with all the traits of the mother trees. Bud grafting associated with Rubber.

Question 35.
Give reason –
(a) Tea is best grown on hill slopes.
Answer:
Tea plantation demands evenly distributed rainfall with no water logging issues. The hill slopes provide an easy drainage of the rain water, hence prevents the conditions of water logging. Moreover, the tea plants grow well in the loamy soil which is found mostly over the hill slopes

(b) Pruning is essential for a tea plant.
Answer:
Pruning ofthe tea plant is very essential because of two reasons:

• The removal of the central stem encourages the quick development of lateral branches and periodical pruning does not allow the plant to grow more than about 40 cm.
• Pruning also help in growing new shoots bearing soft leaves in plenty.

(c) Honey bees are reared on coffee plants.
Answer:
Honey bees are reared of coffee plant as they help to pollinate the flowers.

Question 36.
Answer in one word:
(a) Method in which coffee is obtained by pulping, fermenting, washing and drying.
Answer:
Wet and Dry Method.

(b) Method in which coffee berries are dried in sun.
Answer:
Cherry or Native Method.

(c) Method in which seeds are dropped through bamboo shafts attached to a plough.
Answer:
Sett Method.

Goyal Brothers Prakashan Class 10 ICSE Geography Solutions