Question

Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and other one labelled as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): Zero-tillage practice in rice-wheat cropping system is a climate change adaptation strategy.

Reason (R): It helps to avoid terminal heat stress of wheat.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true.

Hint:

Think about how skipping tillage changes the wheat sowing date after rice harvest.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We are given an Assertion about zero-tillage in the rice-wheat system being a climate adaptation strategy, and a Reason about avoiding terminal heat stress in wheat, and we must judge if both are true and whether the Reason actually explains the Assertion.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
In the rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo-Gangetic plains, wheat sowing often gets delayed because farmers first have to plough and prepare the field after rice harvest. Zero-tillage skips this land preparation and lets wheat be drilled straight into the rice stubble, so sowing happens on time or even earlier.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Because zero-tillage saves the days otherwise spent on tillage, wheat gets sown earlier in the season. This matters because as temperatures rise faster in a warming climate, late sown wheat runs into high temperatures during its grain filling stage, called terminal heat stress, which shrinks yield. Sowing wheat on time through zero-tillage lets the crop finish grain filling before the hot spell sets in, so the crop escapes this stress. This is exactly why zero-tillage is promoted as a way to help farmers adapt to a changing, warming climate in this cropping system.
So the Assertion is true, the Reason is true, and the Reason correctly explains why zero-tillage counts as a climate adaptation strategy.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A), so the answer is option 1.