With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements :
- 1.A substantial saving in seed material is made when 'bud chip settlings' are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
- 2.When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
- 3.If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
- 4.Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Show answer
Answer: C. Statement 1 is correct: bud chip settlings raised in a nursery save a lot of seed cane. Statement 2 is wrong: single-budded setts germinate poorly; three-bud setts do better. Statement 3 is wrong: in bad weather, larger setts survive better. Statement 4 is correct: tissue-culture plantlets are used. So 1 and 4.
Watch for: Students think a single bud means less waste and better results, but small setts dry out.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because single-budded setts do not germinate better.
- B. Wrong because larger setts survive better in bad weather.
- D. Wrong because statements 2 and 3 are false.
Source to check: ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore (sugarcane.icar.gov.in); ICAR-IISR, Lucknow
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.