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

🔥 PLATINUM SERIES 2.0 | VOL. 213

📅 WEDNESDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2026

🎯 TARGET: IBPS AFO MAINS | PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE

📚 TOPIC COVERAGE

SOIL SCIENCE • AGRONOMY • PLANT PATHOLOGY • PLANT BREEDING • SEED TECHNOLOGY • ENTOMOLOGY • HORTICULTURE • IRRIGATION • ANIMAL HUSBANDRY • AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS • GOVERNMENT SCHEMES • AGRICULTURAL MARKETING

📝 TEST FORMAT

20 MCQs | 20 Marks | Suggested Time: 15 Minutes

Instructions: Select the single most appropriate answer for each question. Attempt all questions before checking the answer key.

Q1. Which soil-test method is generally preferred for estimating available phosphorus in neutral to calcareous alkaline soils:

A. Bray's P-1 method

B. DTPA extraction method

C. Olsen's sodium bicarbonate method

D. Kjeldahl method

E. Walkley–Black method

Q2. Which of the following is a C₄ crop with high photosynthetic efficiency under high-temperature and high-light conditions:

A. Wheat

B. Rice

C. Soybean

D. Potato

E. Sorghum

Q3. The principal fungal pathogen responsible for rice blast disease is:

A. Magnaporthe oryzae

B. Rhizoctonia solani

C. Ustilaginoidea virens

D. Fusarium oxysporum

E. Sclerotium rolfsii

Q4. In plant breeding, heterosis estimated by comparing an F₁ hybrid with the average performance of its two parents is called:

A. Inbreeding depression

B. Inbreeding coefficient

C. Standard heterosis

D. Mid-parent heterosis

E. Mutation frequency

Q5. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a soil is primarily determined by its content and properties of:

A. Soluble salts and free water

B. Clay minerals and soil organic matter

C. Nitrate and sulphate ions alone

D. Soil air and carbon dioxide

E. Coarse sand particles alone

Q6. In hybrid maize seed production, detasseling the female parent is carried out primarily to:

A. Increase the moisture content of pollen

B. Prevent self-pollination of the female parent

C. Accelerate grain drying after harvest

D. Improve the nitrogen fixation capacity of roots

E. Eliminate all seed-borne pathogens

Q7. Salicylic acid is particularly associated with which plant defence response:

A. Biological nitrogen fixation

B. Stomatal opening under all conditions

C. Vernalisation

D. Systemic acquired resistance

E. Seed dispersal by wind

Q8. Mango malformation disease is associated with which fungal pathogen:

A. Alternaria solani

B. Puccinia graminis

C. Xanthomonas citri

D. Phytophthora infestans

E. Fusarium mangiferae

Q9. Nuclear polyhedrosis viruses (NPVs) are used in biological pest management primarily against susceptible larvae of:

A. Lepidopteran insects

B. Earthworms

C. Mites exclusively

D. Plant-parasitic nematodes

E. Molluscs

Q10. In agricultural water management, water productivity is commonly expressed as:

A. Irrigation cost per hectare alone

B. Soil moisture content divided by rainfall

C. Crop yield per unit of water used or supplied, according to the specified measure

D. Fertiliser applied per unit of land

E. Number of irrigations per crop season

Q11. Under the conventional criterion for classifying sodic soils, the Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) is generally:

A. Below 2

B. Between 2 and 5

C. Between 5 and 10

D. Greater than 15

E. Exactly 10 in all cases

Q12. The biological conversion of ammonium nitrogen into nitrite and subsequently nitrate is known as:

A. Nitrification

B. Denitrification

C. Ammonification

D. Biological nitrogen fixation

E. Phosphorus solubilisation

Q13. Anther culture is used in plant breeding primarily to facilitate the production of:

A. Triploid plants in every crop species

B. Plants with exclusively maternal inheritance

C. Plants with permanently increased chromosome numbers in all cases

D. Genetically identical plants through vegetative propagation alone

E. Haploid plants that can be chromosome-doubled to develop doubled haploids

Q14. The principal nutritional and immunological importance of colostrum for newborn calves is that it:

A. Replaces the need for all subsequent milk feeding

B. Supplies maternal antibodies that provide passive immunity

C. Prevents every infectious disease throughout life

D. Eliminates the need for hygienic calf management

E. Guarantees maximum adult milk yield irrespective of genetics

Q15. Under PM-KISAN, eligible farmer families are entitled to annual income support of:

A. ₹3,000 in one instalment

B. ₹4,000 in two instalments

C. ₹6,000 in three equal instalments, subject to eligibility and exclusions

D. ₹8,000 in four instalments

E. ₹12,000 in six instalments

Q16. The primary objective of the electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is to:

A. Replace all agricultural credit institutions

B. Provide free crop insurance to every farmer

C. Fix one uniform retail price for every agricultural commodity

D. Provide fertiliser subsidies exclusively through cooperatives

E. Integrate agricultural markets electronically to improve transparent trading and market access

Q17. Seed vigour is best understood as the capacity of a seed lot to demonstrate:

A. Identical seed size and colour in every seed

B. Maximum seed weight irrespective of germination

C. Rapid, uniform emergence and development of normal seedlings under a range of conditions

D. Indefinite survival under all storage conditions

E. Germination exclusively under laboratory conditions

Q18. In economic pest management, the Economic Injury Level (EIL) is the pest population at which:

A. The economic value of crop damage equals the cost of control

B. Every pest in the field must be eradicated

C. The pest population necessarily reaches its biological maximum

D. Natural enemies become completely ineffective

E. Crop yield is unaffected by further pest multiplication

Q19. Selected strains of which biological control agent are commonly used against certain soil-borne plant pathogens:

A. Cuscuta spp.

B. Striga spp.

C. Orobanche spp.

D. Trichoderma spp.

E. Parthenium hysterophorus

Q20. Compared with conventional surface irrigation, drip irrigation can improve water-use efficiency primarily by:

A. Eliminating all water losses under every field condition

B. Delivering water near the crop root zone and reducing avoidable losses

C. Maintaining deep standing water throughout the crop season

D. Preventing every weed species from emerging

E. Removing the need for irrigation scheduling and maintenance

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✅ ANSWER KEY

Q1.C

Q2.E

Q3.A

Q4.D

Q5.B

Q6.B

Q7.D

Q8.E

Q9.A

Q10.C

Q11.D

Q12.A

Q13.E

Q14.B

Q15.C

Q16.E

Q17.C

Q18.A

Q19.D

Q20.B

📖 EXPLANATIONS & LEARNING POINTS

Q1. C — Olsen's method: The Olsen method uses sodium bicarbonate to estimate available phosphorus and is commonly preferred for neutral to calcareous alkaline soils. Bray methods are generally used for acidic soils.

Q2. E — Sorghum: Sorghum is a C₄ crop. C₄ plants concentrate carbon dioxide around Rubisco, helping reduce photorespiration and supporting high photosynthetic efficiency under warm, high-light conditions.

Q3. A — Magnaporthe oryzae: This fungus causes rice blast, a major disease affecting leaves, nodes and panicles. Integrated management includes resistant varieties, balanced nitrogen application, field sanitation and locally recommended plant-protection measures.

Q4. D — Mid-parent heterosis: It measures the superiority or inferiority of an F₁ hybrid relative to the average performance of its two parents. Better-parent heterosis compares the hybrid with the superior parent, while standard heterosis compares it with a standard commercial check.

Q5. B — Clay minerals and organic matter: These contain negatively charged sites that retain and exchange positively charged nutrient ions such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. CEC is influenced by soil texture, mineralogy, organic matter and pH-dependent charges.

Q6. B — Preventing self-pollination: Detasseling removes tassels from the female parent before pollen shed. This ensures that the female plants receive pollen from the designated male parent, supporting hybrid seed purity.

Q7. D — Systemic acquired resistance: Salicylic acid is an important signalling molecule in plant defence, particularly systemic acquired resistance against certain pathogens. Jasmonic acid and ethylene also participate in plant defence pathways.

Q8. E — Fusarium mangiferae: This fungus is associated with mango malformation, which can affect vegetative shoots and floral structures. Disease management depends on local recommendations, sanitation and appropriate management of affected plant material.

Q9. A — Lepidopteran larvae: NPVs are insect-specific viral biocontrol agents used against susceptible insect larvae, including certain caterpillar pests. Their effectiveness depends on the virus strain, host species, application timing and environmental conditions.

Q10. C — Yield per unit of water: Water productivity relates agricultural output to water use. The precise measure must specify whether water refers to irrigation supplied, total water consumed or another defined water-use component.

Q11. D — ESP greater than 15: An ESP above 15 is the conventional threshold for sodicity classification. In practical soil assessment, electrical conductivity, pH and other soil properties also help characterise salt-affected soils.

Q12. A — Nitrification: Under suitable aerobic conditions, nitrifying microorganisms convert ammonium into nitrite and then nitrate. Denitrification is a different process in which nitrate is reduced to gaseous nitrogen forms, particularly under oxygen-limited conditions.

Q13. E — Haploids and doubled haploids: Anther culture can produce haploid plants from pollen-producing cells. Chromosome doubling can generate doubled-haploid lines that are highly homozygous and useful in crop improvement.

Q14. B — Passive immunity: Colostrum supplies immunoglobulins and other protective factors to newborn calves. Prompt feeding of good-quality colostrum is critical because the calf's ability to absorb maternal antibodies declines rapidly after birth.

Q15. C — ₹6,000 annually: PM-KISAN provides eligible farmer families with ₹6,000 annually in three equal instalments of ₹2,000, subject to scheme eligibility requirements and exclusions.

Q16. E — Electronic market integration: e-NAM aims to connect agricultural markets electronically, facilitate transparent price discovery and improve market access. Its benefits depend on effective implementation, market participation and supporting infrastructure.

Q17. C — Rapid and uniform emergence: Seed vigour reflects the ability of a seed lot to establish healthy seedlings quickly and uniformly under a range of conditions. It provides information beyond standard germination percentage alone.

Q18. A — Damage value equals control cost: The Economic Injury Level is the pest population at which the expected economic loss caused by the pest equals the cost of control. The Economic Threshold Level is the action point set early enough to prevent the population from reaching the EIL.

Q19. D — Trichoderma spp.: Selected strains of Trichoderma suppress certain soil-borne pathogens through mechanisms such as competition, antibiosis and mycoparasitism. Effectiveness varies with the strain, crop, pathogen and field conditions.

Q20. B — Targeted root-zone delivery: Drip irrigation delivers water close to plant roots and can reduce surface evaporation, runoff and deep percolation when properly designed and maintained. It does not eliminate all water losses or the need for irrigation scheduling.

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🎯 FINAL REVISION CAPSULE

1. Available phosphorus in calcareous soils: Olsen method

2. C₄ crop example: Sorghum

3. Rice blast: Magnaporthe oryzae

4. F₁ superiority over parental mean: Mid-parent heterosis

5. Major contributors to CEC: Clay minerals and organic matter

6. Maize hybrid seed production: Detasseling the female parent

7. Systemic acquired resistance: Salicylic acid signalling

8. Mango malformation: Associated with Fusarium mangiferae

9. NPV: Biological control of susceptible insect larvae

10. Water productivity: Crop output per defined unit of water use

11. Conventional sodicity criterion: ESP greater than 15

12. Nitrification: Ammonium → nitrite → nitrate

13. Anther culture: Haploid production and doubled-haploid breeding

14. Colostrum: Passive immunity in newborn calves

15. PM-KISAN: ₹6,000 annually in three instalments

16. e-NAM: Electronic agricultural market integration

17. Seed vigour: Rapid, uniform and healthy seedling establishment

18. Economic Injury Level: Economic damage value equals control cost

19. Biological control: Selected Trichoderma strains

20. Drip irrigation: Targeted root-zone water application

📊 SELF-ASSESSMENT

Suggested performance benchmarks

- 18–20: Excellent conceptual command

- 15–17: Very good; revise incorrect answers

- 12–14: Strengthen technical concepts

- Below 12: Revisit core topics before attempting another mock

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