INDIAN BANKING RADAR (IBR) - IBPS AFO MAINS — AGRICULTURE INTELLIGENCE MOCK

🔥 PLATINUM SERIES 2.0 | VOL. 198

📅 14 OCTOBER 2026 | WEDNESDAY

🎯 TARGET: IBPS AFO • Agriculture Officer • NABARD • RRB

📝 20 MCQs | 20 Marks | 15 Minutes

⚠️ Negative marking: −0.25 mark for each incorrect answer, as specified for this practice set.

INSTRUCTIONS: Select the single best answer for each question. Attempt all questions before checking the answer key and explanations.

Q1. Citrus canker, a serious bacterial disease affecting citrus crops, is primarily caused by:

A. Fusarium oxysporum

B. Phytophthora infestans

C. Alternaria solani

D. Xanthomonas citri

E. Puccinia graminis

Q2. Which of the following is a C4 crop?

A. Wheat

B. Maize

C. Rice

D. Barley

E. Potato

Q3. Rice is traditionally classified as which type of photoperiodic crop, although modern varieties differ in their responses?

A. Long-day crop

B. Day-neutral crop

C. Obligate long-day crop

D. Non-photoperiodic crop

E. Short-day crop

Q4. Which seed treatment is commonly used to overcome physical dormancy caused by a hard, impermeable seed coat?

A. Mechanical scarification

B. Cold storage alone

C. Deep burial

D. Seed pelleting

E. Shade drying

Q5. The principal reclamation measure for saline soil is:

A. Applying nitrogen alone

B. Increasing soil compaction

C. Leaching soluble salts below the root zone with adequate drainage

D. Applying lime to every saline soil

E. Avoiding irrigation permanently

Q6. Poor fruit set in an apple orchard due to self-incompatibility can be improved by:

A. Applying nitrogen excessively

B. Planting compatible pollinizer varieties and ensuring effective insect pollination

C. Removing all flowering branches

D. Avoiding pollinating insects

E. Increasing irrigation without addressing pollination

Q7. Potato leafroll disease is primarily managed through:

A. Treating infected plants with additional nitrogen

B. Flooding the field

C. Applying fungicides alone

D. Using healthy seed potatoes, removing infected plants and managing aphid vectors

E. Increasing plant density

Q8. Which microorganism is a free-living nitrogen fixer commonly associated with non-leguminous crops?

A. Azotobacter

B. Rhizobium

C. Plasmodiophora

D. Alternaria

E. Phytophthora

Q9. In Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the economic threshold is the pest population level at which:

A. All pests must be eliminated immediately

B. Harvesting must stop

C. Control measures should be initiated to prevent the population from reaching the economic injury level

D. Pesticides must be applied regardless of pest density

E. Biological control must be discontinued

Q10. Which agricultural extension method involves an extension worker demonstrating a recommended practice to a group of farmers?

A. Farm publication

B. Radio talk

C. General lecture without demonstration

D. Farm survey

E. Method demonstration

Q11. NABARD's refinance facility primarily supports eligible lending institutions in financing:

A. Personal consumption unrelated to eligible lending

B. Eligible agriculture and rural development activities

C. Only large urban infrastructure projects

D. Only foreign trade transactions

E. Only unsecured personal loans

Q12. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) refers to the coordinated use of:

A. Chemical fertilizers alone

B. Farmyard manure alone

C. Organic manures, chemical fertilizers and suitable biological nutrient sources

D. Pesticides and herbicides alone

E. Irrigation water alone

Q13. Crop-cutting experiments are primarily conducted to estimate:

A. Crop yield per unit area

B. Seed germination percentage

C. Soil pH

D. Farm machinery efficiency

E. Market price fluctuations

Q14. The primary role of a Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) is to:

A. Regulate commercial banks nationally

B. Issue currency notes

C. Conduct monetary policy

D. Provide local cooperative credit and related services to members

E. Supervise stock exchanges

Q15. Which substance is commonly used for commercial induction of flowering in pineapple under recommended crop-specific practices?

A. Sodium chloride

B. Urea alone

C. Gypsum

D. Copper sulphate

E. Ethylene or ethephon

Q16. Which test is commonly used for rapid assessment of seed viability based on staining of living tissues?

A. Electrical conductivity test

B. Standard germination test only

C. Tetrazolium test

D. Soil pH test

E. Moisture meter test

Q17. Pheromone traps are primarily used in pest management to:

A. Monitor specific insect populations and, in suitable systems, support mass trapping

B. Increase soil nitrogen directly

C. Improve seed germination

D. Control all plant pathogens

E. Replace every other IPM measure

Q18. AGMARK is associated with:

A. Agricultural credit refinancing

B. Grading and quality certification of specified agricultural commodities

C. Crop insurance settlement alone

D. Regulation of commercial bank deposits

E. Fertilizer subsidy disbursement alone

Q19. Which soil and water conservation practice is particularly useful for reducing runoff and soil erosion on sloping agricultural land?

A. Burning crop residues

B. Cultivating straight up and down steep slopes

C. Removing all vegetative cover

D. Contour bunding

E. Increasing uncontrolled surface runoff

Q20. A farmer earns gross returns of ₹2.40 lakh. Variable costs are ₹1.50 lakh and fixed costs are ₹0.30 lakh. What is the net return?

A. ₹0.30 lakh

B. ₹0.40 lakh

C. ₹0.50 lakh

D. ₹0.90 lakh

E. ₹0.60 lakh

ANSWER KEY

Q1. D

Q2. B

Q3. E

Q4. A

Q5. C

Q6. B

Q7. D

Q8. A

Q9. C

Q10. E

Q11. B

Q12. C

Q13. A

Q14. D

Q15. E

Q16. C

Q17. A

Q18. B

Q19. D

Q20. E

EXPLANATIONS & QUICK LEARNING POINTS

Q1. D — Xanthomonas citri

Citrus canker is a bacterial disease that produces raised, corky lesions on leaves, twigs and fruits.

Q2. B — Maize

Maize follows the C4 photosynthetic pathway, which is efficient under high light and temperature. Wheat and rice are C3 crops.

Q3. E — Short-day crop

Rice is traditionally classified as a short-day crop. Photoperiod sensitivity varies among cultivars.

Q4. A — Mechanical scarification

Scarification weakens or breaks a hard seed coat, allowing water uptake and germination in seeds with physical dormancy.

Q5. C — Leaching with adequate drainage

Soluble salts are removed from the root zone using suitable-quality water and effective drainage. Sodic soils may require amendments such as gypsum, depending on soil analysis.

Q6. B — Compatible pollinizers and insect pollination

Many apple varieties require compatible pollen from another variety. Effective pollinator activity supports fertilisation and fruit set.

Q7. D — Healthy seed, roguing and vector management

Potato leafroll virus is transmitted mainly by aphids. Healthy planting material and integrated vector management are important preventive measures.

Q8. A — Azotobacter

Azotobacter fixes atmospheric nitrogen independently of legume root nodules. Rhizobium generally forms a symbiotic association with legumes.

Q9. C — Initiate control before economic injury

The economic threshold is the action point for initiating control. The economic injury level is the pest density at which economic losses justify the cost of control.

Q10. E — Method demonstration

A method demonstration teaches farmers how to perform a specific agricultural practice step by step.

Q11. B — Agriculture and rural development

NABARD refinance supports eligible lending institutions in financing activities covered by applicable refinance schemes and guidelines.

Q12. C — Combined nutrient sources

INM integrates organic manures, chemical fertilizers and suitable biological sources to improve nutrient-use efficiency and sustain soil productivity.

Q13. A — Crop yield per unit area

Crop-cutting experiments measure yields from sampled crop plots and support crop-yield estimation, including under applicable crop insurance procedures.

Q14. D — Local cooperative credit and services

PACS operate at the grassroots level and provide cooperative credit and other permitted services to members, subject to applicable rules.

Q15. E — Ethylene or ethephon

Ethylene-based treatments can induce flowering in pineapple when applied under recommended conditions and at the appropriate crop stage.

Q16. C — Tetrazolium test

Living seed tissues reduce tetrazolium to a coloured compound, helping assess viability. A viability result is not the same as a standard germination percentage.

Q17. A — Pest monitoring and targeted trapping

Pheromone traps attract specific insects and help monitor pest activity. In suitable pest-management systems, they can also be used for mass trapping. Mating disruption is a separate pheromone-based technique.

Q18. B — Agricultural commodity grading and quality certification

AGMARK is associated with grading and quality certification of specified agricultural commodities under the applicable framework.

Q19. D — Contour bunding

Contour bunds slow surface runoff, reduce soil erosion and help conserve moisture on suitable sloping land.

Q20. E — ₹0.60 lakh

Total cost = Variable cost + Fixed cost

= ₹1.50 lakh + ₹0.30 lakh

= ₹1.80 lakh

Net return = Gross returns − Total cost

= ₹2.40 lakh − ₹1.80 lakh

= ₹0.60 lakh

QUICK REVISION CAPSULE

🌱 Crop Science: Citrus canker, C4 crops, rice photoperiod and potato leafroll virus.

🌾 Seed Science: Mechanical scarification, tetrazolium test and seed viability.

🧪 Soil & Nutrients: Saline-soil reclamation, drainage, INM and biological nitrogen fixation.

🐛 Plant Protection: IPM, economic threshold, pheromone traps and vector management.

🌳 Horticulture: Apple pollination and pineapple flowering induction.

🏦 Agriculture & Rural Development: NABARD refinance, PACS, AGMARK and crop-cutting experiments.

💰 Farm Management: Net return = Gross returns − Total costs.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

18–20: Excellent — maintain accuracy and speed.

16–17: Strong — revise the concepts missed.

12–15: Needs revision — revisit core agricultural fundamentals.

Below 12: Strengthen fundamentals before attempting the next mock.

These are practice benchmarks, not official IBPS cut-offs.

PRACTISE • REVIEW • IMPROVE

📌 Attempt: Share your score out of 20.

📌 Review: Identify the concepts behind your incorrect answers.

📌 Practise: Continue with the next IBR Agriculture Intelligence Mock.

📌 Share: Forward this practice set to fellow agriculture and banking aspirants.

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CONCEPT CLARITY + CONSISTENT PRACTICE + ACCURACY = BETTER EXAM READINESS

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Intelligence for Aspirants. Insight for Success.

Disclaimer: This is an independently prepared practice set for educational purposes. It is not an official IBPS question paper.