In the year 2021-22, which State of India had the first rank in production of pulses?
- (a)Uttar Pradesh
- (b)Rajasthan
- (c)Madhya Pradesh
- (d)Gujarat
Correct — C, Madhya Pradesh. MP is India's leading pulses-producing state, a position driven chiefly by chana (Bengal gram) — the state's largest single pulse crop by both area and output, and one for which MP is independently recognised as the country's foremost producer. The black cotton (regur) soils of the Malwa Plateau retain residual moisture well into the rabi season, exactly the growing window chana needs, which keeps MP ahead of other states in aggregate pulses output, including in 2021-22.
- (a)Uttar Pradesh — UP is a major foodgrain state (wheat, rice, sugarcane) but is not the leading pulses producer; MP outranks it here.
- (b)Rajasthan — Rajasthan grows meaningful pulses (moong, urad) in its arid tracts, but its total pulses output trails Madhya Pradesh's.
- (d)Gujarat — Gujarat's signature crops are cotton and groundnut, not pulses; it is not a leading pulses-producing state.
Pulses (dals) — chana/gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad, masur — are legumes central to India's protein supply, mostly grown as rainfed rabi or kharif crops on residual soil moisture rather than heavy irrigation. Madhya Pradesh's black (regur) soils on the Malwa Plateau hold moisture into the rabi season, making the state especially suited to chana (gram), by far India's largest pulse crop by volume — which is why MP leads national pulses production overall.
MPPSC often tests 'top producer' rankings for MP's own signature crops — pulses/chana, soybean, and wheat are the trio most associated with the state. The trap is picking a state known for a different crop family instead (rice → UP/West Bengal, groundnut/cotton → Gujarat).
- MP's black (regur) soils and rabi cropping pattern favour chana (Bengal gram), India's largest single pulse crop
- MP is independently recognised as the country's leading state for gram/chana production specifically
- MP's other signature crops are soybean (oilseed) and wheat (foodgrain)
- Pulses supply plant protein and fix nitrogen in the soil, complementing cereal rotations
Madhya Pradesh's black-soil rabi belt makes it India's leading pulses producer, chiefly on the strength of chana (gram).
- Confusing MP's pulses leadership with a different crop it does not lead, like rice
- Assuming one state leads every crop — leadership varies crop by crop
MPPSC/UPSC typically ask 'top producer state for crop X, year Y' — pin the crop to MP's actual signature crops (chana, soybean, wheat) rather than guessing a generic answer.
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I (Agricultural products) I. Cotton II. Gram III. Black pepper IV. Pineapple; List II (Foremost producer) A. Madhya Pradesh B. Gujarat C. West Bengal D. Kerala
- (a) I-B, II-A, III-D, IV-C
- (b) I-B, II-A, III-C, IV-D
- (c) I-A, II-B, III-D, IV-C
- (d) I-A, II-B, III-C, IV-D
Answer(a) I-B, II-A, III-D, IV-C
Directly tests the same fact this question relies on — Madhya Pradesh as the foremost producer of gram (chana), the pulse driving MP's overall pulses leadership.
With reference to the production of pulses in India, consider the following statements: 1. Black gram (urad) can be cultivated both as Kharif and Rabi crop. 2. Green-gram (moong) alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production. 3. In the last three decades, while the production of Kharif pulses has increased, the production of Rabi pulses has decreased. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 2 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(a) 1 only
Same broad concept — India's pulses-production geography and composition — tested there at the national/crop level and here at the state-ranking level.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Madhya Pradesh is India's largest producer of which of the following pulses?
- (a)Arhar (tur)
- (b)Chana (Bengal gram)
- (c)Masur
- (d)Moong
Answer(b) Chana (Bengal gram) — MP's largest pulse crop, grown extensively in its black-soil rabi belt.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which soil type, extensively found on the Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh, best retains moisture for rabi pulses like chana?
- (a)Laterite soil
- (b)Black (regur) soil
- (c)Alluvial soil
- (d)Desert soil
Answer(b) Black (regur) soil — retains moisture into the rabi season, ideal for chana.