The most suitable group of crops for dryland agriculture is:
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Deep-rooted pulses like chickpea are excellent for dryland systems because they restore soil nitrogen while accessing moisture from deep within the soil profile.
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Dryland agriculture refers to cultivating crops in regions with low and erratic rainfall, where no irrigation facilities are available.
Crops selected for dryland systems must be drought-resistant, have deep root systems to access subsoil moisture, and complete their life cycle with minimal water. Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate the crop groups based on their suitability for dryland farming:
1.Rapeseed-mustard and Chickpea (A): Both are highly drought-tolerant rabi crops.
Chickpea has a deep, robust taproot system that extracts water from deeper soil layers, allowing it to thrive on residual soil moisture.
Rapeseed-mustard also has low water requirements and is highly efficient at using limited water.
Thus, this group is highly suitable for dryland agriculture.
2.Berseem and Potato (B): Berseem is a succulent fodder crop requiring frequent irrigation (typically 8 to 10 irrigations), and potato is a shallow-rooted crop that is highly sensitive to water stress.
Thus, they are unsuitable for dryland farming.
3.Sunflower and Potato (C): While sunflower is moderately drought-tolerant, potato cannot survive under dryland conditions.
4.Sugarcane and Peas (D): Sugarcane is a long-duration, water-intensive crop requiring up to 2000 mm of water, making it completely unsuitable for dryland agriculture. Step 2: Final Answer:
The most suitable group of crops for dryland farming is Rapeseed-mustard and chickpea.
