Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is mainly used for cigarettes and is the major exportable type, covering about 30% area and 20% production.

Hay should be stored at 15–18% moisture (<20%) to prevent spoilage and maintain quality. Higher moisture may lead to fungal growth and heating.

Pungency in mustard is due to isothiocyanate, which is formed by enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates. This reaction is common in cruciferous crops.

Guar, also known as clusterbean, contains about 30–33% gum, which is commercially important for industrial uses.

Early-stage control of major castor pests includes dusting quinalphos 1.5% @ 20 kg/ha or spraying 0.1% monocrotophos.

Castor (Ricinus communis) belongs to family Euphorbiaceae. Its oil is non-edible, and the plant is monoecious (both male and female flowers on the same plant).

The recommended seed rate for sesame is 3–4 kg/ha for row sowing, 4–5 kg/ha for broadcasting, and 1 kg/ha in mixed/intercropping systems.

Cole crops belong to the family Cruciferae and are cold-weather crops capable of withstanding considerable frost.

Mixed cropping involves growing two or more crops together without maintaining any specific row pattern, mainly to reduce risk of total crop failure.

Paired row cropping involves removing every third row and is suitable for dryland conditions with the objective of conserving soil moisture.

Phyllody is the most destructive disease of sesame caused by phytoplasma and transmitted by leaf hopper. It appears at flowering stage and converts floral parts into leafy structures.

Swan grass (Lasiurus sindicus) is listed under other forage crops and is commonly found in Western Rajasthan, particularly Jaisalmer.

Although coriander can be grown throughout the year for leaf purpose (except very hot season), higher grain yield is obtained when grown in the Rabi season.

Buckwheat leaves and flowers contain Rutin, a bioactive compound of medicinal importance, making it nutritionally significant as a pseudocereal.

Cumin is a small-seeded crop; hence shallow sowing at 1–2 cm depth is recommended for proper germination and emergence.

Intercropping refers to growing two or more crops simultaneously with a definite row arrangement, ensuring better resource utilization and management.

Buckwheat belongs to family Polygonaceae and its fruit type is an achene, a key botanical fact frequently asked in exams.

Nicotine is mainly produced in the roots of tobacco and then transported through the stem to the leaves, where it is stored.

Being day-neutral, sunflower is not sensitive to photoperiod and can be cultivated in Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid seasons.

Assam ranks first in tea production in India. Major growing areas also include Darjeeling (West Bengal) and Nilgiri hills (Tamil Nadu).

Skip cropping involves leaving a line unsown in the regular row series. It is generally practiced to conserve moisture under dryland conditions.

Zeeri closely resembles cumin in early stages; hence pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg/ha as pre-emergence is recommended to manage this weed effectively.

The standard and best plucking method in tea is “two leaves and a bud,” which ensures superior quality and optimum yield.

Topping (removal of flower heads) and de-suckering (removal of auxiliary buds) help divert energy and nutrients from flowers to leaves, improving leaf size and quality.

Relay cropping involves sowing the next crop before harvesting the main crop, allowing overlap and better utilization of time and land.

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni) is managed by dusting sulphur @ 25 kg/ha or spraying wettable sulphur (0.25%) or dinocap (0.05%).

Cumin seeds contain volatile oil (2.5–4.0%) and aldehyde cuminol (cuminaldehyde), which gives characteristic aroma and medicinal properties.

Catch crops are short-duration, quick-growing crops raised as substitutes when the main crop fails due to adverse conditions.

India produces about 70% of the world’s cumin and consumes about 90% of its own production (i.e., ~63% of world cumin).

Priming is the staged removal of matured leaves. The entire harvest requires 5–6 primings and is common in cigarette and wrapper tobacco.

Leaf hopper acts as the vector of phyllody disease in sesame. Effective control of the vector helps manage the disease.

Arable crops are those that require preparatory tillage before cultivation. Examples include potato, tobacco, rice, sugarcane and maize.

Madhya Pradesh is the leading producer of linseed in India, followed by Uttar Pradesh, as mentioned in the text.

Cumin blight incidence increases under cloudy weather conditions after flowering, which favors fungal development.

Fusarium wilt survives as a saprophyte in soil and is both soil- and seed-borne, making it difficult to control once established.

Due to the presence of toxic glucosinolates, mustard cake is unsuitable as a protein source for humans and cattle beyond limits. The upper limit is fixed at 0.5% by the government

Wilt in coriander is managed by seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg followed by soil application of Pf1 @ 5 kg/ha.

Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cumini) is the most destructive disease of cumin and can cause yield losses up to 80%. It affects plants at both seedling and later stages.

Sesame contains 50–60% oil and is rich in PUFA, primarily linoleic acid (37–47%), which contributes to its nutritional value.

Sesame fruits are capsules that burst open at full maturity to release seeds. This natural opening mechanism is called dehiscence

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) has a capitulum type inflorescence, which appears as a disk-like flower head typical of family Asteraceae.

Safflower is highly drought tolerant and performs well under rainfed and dryland farming conditions.

Coriander seeds contain 0.1–1.0% essential oil, which is responsible for their characteristic aroma and taste.

White rust in mustard is caused by Albugo candida. It commonly appears during the stag head phase and is an important disease of rapeseed-mustard crops.

Maize is the most suitable crop for silage due to its high sugar content and proper moisture, ensuring good fermentation.

The castor semi-looper and capsule borer are identified as the two most serious pests of castor crop, causing major yield losses.

Fenugreek seeds are treated with Azospirillum (1.5 kg/ha) along with Trichoderma viride @ 50 g for 12 kg of seeds to enhance growth and control diseases.

Rajasthan is the leading producer of coriander seed in India, followed by Madhya Pradesh. This is a frequently asked factual question in agriculture exams.

Safflower (Kusum) contains about 78.5% linoleic acid, the highest among oilseeds mentioned, making it highly suitable for heart patients.

Brown sarson (Brassica comp. var. sarson) variety includes Pusa Kalyani, while Yellow sarson includes Benoy. Varuna (T-59) belongs to Indian mustard (B. juncea).

Root rot (Rhizoctonia solani) is managed by drenching carbendazim 0.05% at the initial stage of disease and repeating after one month.

In complementary cropping, both crops benefit from each other; for example, jowar receives nitrogen from lobia, while lobia gets structural support from jowar.

As per the given data (2016), Myanmar ranks first in sesame production globally, while India stands second.

In fennel, seed rate for direct sowing is 9–12 kg/ha, whereas for transplanting it is 3–4 kg/ha using about 100 m² nursery area.

Ratooning is the practice of obtaining a second crop from the regrowth of the previous crop, e.g., ratoon sugarcane.

NRC-HB-506 is recognized as the first hybrid of mustard developed by the Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard Research, Bharatpur, Rajasthan (Feb 2009).

Sesame oil is highly stable due to natural antioxidants like sesamin and sesamol, which provide strong resistance to oxidation and rancidity, giving it a long shelf life.

Linseed oil contains more than 66% linolenic acid, making it a perfect drying oil used in paints, varnish, printing ink, and oil cloth industries.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) belongs to family Compositae (Asteraceae). Its inflorescence is capitulum and fruit is achene, typical of this family.

Powdery mildew is controlled by spraying wettable sulphur (1 kg/ha) or 0.2% karathane at initial appearance, with a second spray after 10 days.