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 ?

Describes transplanting in paddy as a practice that improves survival and yields by raising seedlings in a nursery and then transplanting them.

A student could analogously ask whether transplanting sugarcane settlings would similarly increase survival and thus reduce the amount of seed cane needed per hectare compared with direct planting.

Gives the specific environmental requirements for good bud-sprouting (moist soil, temperature range), which affects success of nursery-raised buds.

A student could compare these requirements with regional climate maps to judge where nursery-raised bud chips would reliably establish and thus potentially save seed material.

Notes that sugarcane requires manual labour from sowing to harvesting, implying labour costs and practicality matter when adopting nursery/transplant methods.

A student could weigh likely labour inputs for nursery/transplant versus direct set planting to infer whether seed savings would be offset by higher labour (affecting adoption and net seed savings).

States that extension of irrigation and infrastructure has expanded area under sugarcane, implying that availability of water/irrigation affects cropping practices and the feasibility of techniques like transplanting.

A student could map irrigated areas against regions practising transplanting-like methods to see where nursery transplant would be practical and where seed savings might be realized.

Identifies sugarcane as largely an irrigated, tropical/sub-humid crop concentrated in certain states, providing spatial context for where nursery methods might be trialed.

Using this state-level distribution, a student could focus analysis on major sugarcane states (e.g., Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) to check local experiments or extension recommendations about bud chip transplanting and seed use.

States that sugarcane is propagated vegetatively (using stem parts) and that vegetative propagation is used to grow sugarcane — directly connects to the practice of planting setts.

A student could use this to focus enquiry on how characteristics of vegetative propagules (e.g., single vs multi-budded setts) typically affect establishment and early growth in vegetatively propagated crops.

Gives the specific environmental requirements for good bud-sprouting (moist soil, 21°–25°C) and for emergence/tillering (30°–35°C), linking germination success to microclimate and soil moisture.

A student could combine this with knowledge of how sett size affects moisture retention and temperature buffering to hypothesize whether single-budded setts (smaller pieces) might germinate better or worse under given field conditions.

Notes that sugarcane in India is largely an irrigated crop and is grown in particular climatic zones/regions, indicating that water availability and regional practices influence planting outcomes.

A student could map irrigation regimes and regional practices and predict that in well-irrigated areas smaller setts might perform differently than in rainfed zones, informing where single-budded setts could give better germination.

Lists major sugarcane-producing states and notes variation in yield across regions, implying diverse agronomic practices and environments which may affect sett-based germination outcomes.

A student could compare regional agronomic trends (e.g., high-yield states likely use refined planting methods) to infer where single-budded sett planting might be trialled and succeed versus where multi-budded setts are preferred.

States that 'for good bud-sprouting, moist soil and temperature range of 21°-25°C are necessary' — bud sprouting conditions are critical to sett survival.

A student could infer that any factor (bad weather) reducing soil moisture or altering temperature would differentially affect setts based on their exposed bud-surface area or reserve size, and thus compare likely survival of single vs large setts.

Notes sugarcane is largely an irrigated crop in India, implying that natural (rain) variability or bad weather at planting is often mitigated by irrigation practices.

One could use this to judge whether 'bad weather' at planting is likely to be decisive in irrigated vs rainfed areas, affecting whether single-budded setts would actually face stressful conditions.

Says sugarcane 'grows well in hot and humid climate' and 'Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall', linking moisture supply to successful establishment.

A student might combine this with local rainfall maps or expected weather events to estimate how much additional stress setts face and whether smaller setts (with possibly fewer reserves) would survive less well than larger setts.

Indicates sugarcane 'likes deep nitrate soil, retentive of moisture; irrigation necessary for better yields', stressing soil moisture retention importance for crop growth and establishment.

Using soil-type maps and knowledge of a bad-weather event (drought or waterlogging), a student could infer which sett size might better resist moisture stress or excess.

Describes tissue culture as a method to grow many plants from one parent in disease‑free conditions and producing plantlets that are then placed in soil.

A student could combine this with knowledge that sugarcane is often propagated by vegetative planting to hypothesise that tissue‑culture plantlets might serve as settlings for sugarcane.

Defines plantation agriculture as using scientific methods of cultivation and large‑scale, technical/managerial support.

A student could infer that modern plantation/industrial sugarcane systems might adopt laboratory methods (like tissue culture) if they suit scale and disease control needs.

Notes India has the largest area under sugarcane and gives widely varying yields across states, implying scope for improved varieties and methods.

A student might reason that tissue culture could be a route to multiply improved, high‑yielding or disease‑free varieties to address regional yield differences.

States sugarcane grows in a range of climates and requires irrigation and scientific labour-intensive care.

A student could deduce that adoption of a lab‑based propagation method would be more feasible where scientific/technical labour and irrigation infrastructure exist.

Highlights sensitivity of sugarcane to diseases (fog/frost causing red‑rot) and the importance of soil/drainage and suitable conditions.

A student could reason that producing disease‑free planting material via tissue culture might help reduce disease incidence in susceptible regions.