SSC
Cotton cultivation generally requires about how many frost-free days?
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Answer: Option C — 210 frost-free days
Detailed Solution
Cotton needs a long growing season of about 210 frost-free days (roughly seven months) with plenty of sunshine to grow and ripen its bolls properly. Frost damages the plant and the developing bolls.
Climatic conditions for cotton:
Temperature: about 21 to 30 degrees Celsius during the growing period.
Rainfall: about 50 to 100 cm. Cotton can be grown in areas of lower rainfall with irrigation.
Bright sunshine and a long dry, warm spell during picking. Rain or cloudy weather at the time of boll opening spoils the fibre.
It is a kharif crop in most of India, harvested in autumn and winter.
Soil:
Cotton grows best in black soils, often called "black cotton soils" or regur, because they retain moisture well. It is also grown on alluvial soils in the north (with irrigation) and on red and laterite soils.
Cotton in India:
- India is one of the world's largest producers of cotton, along with China, and has the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world.
- Gujarat is the largest producer of cotton, while Maharashtra has the largest area under cotton.
- Other major producers include Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
- Cotton is a fibre crop and a major raw material for the textile industry, which is one of the largest employers in India.
Types of cotton:
- Cotton is classified by fibre (staple) length: long staple (above about 28 mm), medium staple and short staple.
- The four cultivated species are Gossypium hirsutum (American upland cotton), G. barbadense (Egyptian or Sea Island cotton, long staple), G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (Asian "desi" cottons).
- India is the only country that grows all four cultivated species of cotton.
Problems:
Pests such as the pink bollworm and whitefly, dependence on rainfall in unirrigated areas, and price fluctuations.
Why not the other options?
- ✗90 and 120 frost-free days are too short for cotton; such short seasons suit quick-maturing crops.
- ✗300 frost-free days is more than cotton needs.
Quick tip
Remember: Cotton = 210 frost-free days, 21-30 degrees Celsius, 50-100 cm rain, bright sunshine at picking, black (regur) soil; Gujarat is the largest producer.
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Agriculture in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.