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Q72 (IAS/2022) Economy › Agriculture & Rural Economy › Sustainable farming practices Official Key

"System of Rice Intensification" of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in : 1. Reduced seed requirement 2. Reduced methane production 3. Reduced electricity consumption Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 (1, 2 and 3) because the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a climate-smart methodology that optimizes resource use through specific agronomic shifts.

  • Reduced seed requirement: Unlike traditional flooding which requires 20-30 kg of seeds per acre, SRI uses single young seedlings transplanted with wider spacing, reducing seed demand by nearly 80-90%.
  • Reduced methane production: Traditional submerged paddies create anaerobic conditions, leading to methane emissions. SRI employs "Alternate Wetting and Drying" (AWD), which keeps the soil aerobic, significantly suppressing methanogenic activity.
  • Reduced electricity consumption: Since SRI requires intermittent irrigation rather than continuous flooding, it leads to a 30-50% reduction in water usage. Consequently, the electricity required to pump groundwater is substantially lowered.

Thus, all three statements accurately describe the benefits of SRI, making Option 4 the most comprehensive and correct choice.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. "System of Rice Intensification" of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in : 1. Redu…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 6.7/10
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This is a classic 'Climate Smart Agriculture' question. While specific data points (methane %) are technical, the answer relies on the 'Efficiency Heuristic': sustainable technologies are designed to minimize inputs (seeds, water/electricity) and negative outputs (methane). If you understood the *intent* of SRI, you didn't need the exact data.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practice of alternate wetting and drying reduce seed requirement compared to conventional rice cultivation methods?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 4/5
"System of Rice Intensification is a method of rice cultivation consisting of transplanting 8-12 day old seedlings at wider spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm."
Why this source?
  • Specifies SRI transplanting of very young seedlings at wider spacing (25 cm x 25 cm), which directly reduces the number of plants needed per unit area.
  • Wider spacing and transplanting regime in SRI imply a lower seedling/seed requirement compared with dense conventional spacing.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a methodology designed to improve the yield of rice while reducing inputs."
Why this source?
  • States SRI is designed to improve yield while reducing inputs, indicating that input needs (including seed) are reduced under SRI practices.
  • Describes SRI as a methodology with core practices (context for AWD and spacing) that aim to reduce inputs.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 25: Agriculture > System of Rice Intensification (SRI) > p. 371
Strength: 5/5
“• System of Rice Intensification (SRI) emerged in the 1980's as a synthesis of locally advantageous rice production practices encountered in Madagascar by Fr Henri de Laulanie. SRI is a combination of several practices, including changes in nursery management, time of transplanting, water and weed management. It emphasizes altering certain agronomic practices of the conventional way of rice cultivation. All these new practices are together known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI).”
Why relevant

Defines SRI as a package that explicitly changes nursery management, time of transplanting, water and weed management — practices that determine planting density and therefore seed use.

How to extend

A student can combine this with the basic fact that nursery/ transplanting methods and spacing set seed rate to hypothesize SRI could alter (reduce or increase) seed requirement and then seek specific SRI nursery/spacing recommendations.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Systems of Rice Cultivation > p. 15
Strength: 3/5
“Te traditional rice farming systems in India broadly include wetland (lowland) and dry land (upland) systems. Cultural practices developed for varied forms of these systems depending on soil type, season, rainfall pattern, irrigation and other growing conditions have been in practice for centuries. However, the difusion of High Yielding Varieties of rice since the mid-sixties have changed the crop management practices. Tere are in all three major systems of rice cultivation in India, given below: Dry Cultivation Tis system is confned mainly to rain- fed ecosystem with no supplementary irrigation facilities. Te land is usually prepared with the help of draught animals after receiving the frst rain of the season.”
Why relevant

Describes distinct rice cultivation systems (wetland vs upland) and that cultural practices vary by system, implying seed rates depend on system-specific practices.

How to extend

Using a map or knowledge of where SRI is applied (typically in irrigated/wetland systems), a student could infer system-related practice changes might alter seed needs compared to conventional wetland methods.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > 1. Irrigation > p. 46
Strength: 3/5
“Irrigation is the most important input required for the successful cultivation of new seeds. The new seeds need copious irrigation. Adoption of High Yielding Varieties and intensification of agriculture in a country like India without the availability of irrigation is not possible. The new seeds need controlled irrigation, i.e.m they need irrigation at the specific periods of growth, development and flowering in the prescribed quantity. Over irrigation and under-irrigation, both are injurious to the crop. Thus, the timings of irrigation and the quantity of water supplied are decisive for the satisfactory performance of the crop. In the case of wheat for example, appropriate timing and spacing of irrigation raise the yield as much as 50% even if other inputs (fertilisers, etc.) are not applied.”
Why relevant

Stresses that new/high‑yielding seeds need controlled irrigation and that timing/management (including irrigation) is decisive for crop performance — linking water management practices to crop management decisions.

How to extend

Since AW&D is a different water-management regime, a student could reasonably investigate whether that change in water regime is associated with different recommended spacing or nursery practices that affect seed rate.

Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: The Story of Village Palampur > P) - Provisional Data > p. 4
Strength: 2/5
“Till the mid-1960s, the seeds used in cultivation were traditional ones with relatively low yields. Traditional seeds needed less irrigation. Farmers used cow-dung and other natural manure as fertilizers. All these were readily available with the farmers who did not have to buy them. The Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian farmer to cultivation of wheat and rice using high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds. Compared to the traditional seeds, the HYV seeds promised to produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant. As a result, the same piece of land would now produce far larger quantities of foodgrains than was possible earlier.”
Why relevant

Notes that HYV seeds produce more grains per plant and changed cropping practices since the 1960s, indicating seed type and agronomic system influence seed-rate decisions.

How to extend

A student could compare recommended seed rates for HYVs under conventional management versus SRI-modified practices to judge if SRI (with AW&D) tends to reduce seed requirement.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > 4. Mixed Cropping > p. 8
Strength: 2/5
“In the rain-fed areas of the country, mixed cropping is a common practice. The farmers grow rice, mix millets, maize, and pulses in the kharif season and wheat, gram and barley in the rabi season. In the areas of Jhuming (shifting cultivation), ten to sixteen crops are mixed and sown in the same field. The rationale behind mixing of crops is to get good agricultural return. In case the monsoon is good, the rice crop will give better production and in case of failure of monsoon, the less water requiring crops like maize, millets, bajra, and pulses will give good harvest.”
Why relevant

Explains that cropping systems (e.g., mixed cropping in rain-fed areas) alter what and how crops are sown, implying seed requirements vary with cropping practice.

How to extend

By analogy, a student could treat SRI as another distinct cropping practice and look up how seed-rate recommendations differ between mixed/conventional systems and SRI systems.

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