Which of the following conditions is/are essential for tea cultivation ? 1. Tropical and sub-tropical climate 2. Heavy rainfall ranging from 150 cm to 250 cm 3. Soil should contain good amount of lime Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- (a)1, 2 and 3
- (b)1 and 2 only
- (c)2 and 3 only
- (d)1 only
Correct — B, 1 and 2 only. Tea is grown in both tropical and sub-tropical high-rainfall regions — Assam and the Nilgiris on one side, the Darjeeling and Kangra hills on the other — so statement 1 stands, and it is exactly the point on which tea differs from coffee, which needs the hot humid tropics. Statement 2 gives the standard rainfall requirement of about 150 to 250 centimetres, well distributed through the year, which is why the tea districts of India sit in the wettest corners of the country. Statement 3 is the one that fails, and it fails badly: tea needs a deep, well-drained, humus-rich soil that is acidic, and lime does the opposite by pushing the soil towards alkalinity. A limed soil is not merely unnecessary for tea, it is hostile to it.
- (a)1, 2 and 3 — This is the pull of a well-built statement set — the first two conditions are impeccable, so a candidate reading quickly assumes the third must be too. Lime is the giveaway. It is a soil corrective used to raise pH for crops like sugarcane and cotton, and tea wants pH pushed the other way.
- (c)2 and 3 only — Dropping statement 1 makes no sense — climate is the first thing any crop needs, and the tropical-and-sub-tropical description of tea is textbook. This option also keeps the one false statement.
- (d)1 only — Rainfall is not optional for tea. The plant is picked in flushes and needs moisture through the growing season; the great tea districts of Assam, Darjeeling and the Nilgiris are all high-rainfall areas.
Tea is a plantation crop grown from the young leaves of an evergreen shrub. It wants warmth without frost, heavy and well-spread rainfall, gentle slopes so that water never stands at the roots, and a deep loamy soil rich in humus and iron with an acid reaction. Because water must drain away, hill slopes and the terraces of the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys suit it better than flat, poorly drained ground. It is also labour-intensive, since the leaf is plucked by hand in repeated flushes.
Two contrasts make this whole family of questions easy. The first is tea against coffee: coffee needs a hot and humid tropical climate with a dry spell during ripening, while tea manages both tropical and sub-tropical conditions and wants moisture throughout — a UPSC prelims item has turned on exactly that difference. The second is acid soil against limed soil. Group your crops by what they want from the soil and the lime distractor never works again. As of the 2018 exam India was among the world's largest tea producers, with Assam and West Bengal accounting for the great bulk of the output and the Nilgiris leading in the south; India remains a leading producer today, though its rank against China and Kenya has moved over the years and any position should be quoted from a current Tea Board figure rather than from memory. The other statement worth stress-testing is the popular belief that Africa grows no tea; Kenya is one of the world's largest producers, and a UPSC assertion-reason item was built to catch that error.
- Tea requires about 150 to 250 centimetres of well-distributed rainfall a year.
- It grows in both tropical and sub-tropical climates, which distinguishes it from coffee.
- The soil must be deep, well drained, humus-rich and acidic; lime, which raises soil pH, is unsuitable.
- Slopes are preferred over flat land so that water never stagnates around the roots.
- Assuming a lime-rich soil is good for every crop because liming is a common soil treatment.
- Transferring coffee's requirements to tea, or the reverse.
- Believing that Africa grows no tea — Kenya is among the world's largest producers.
Crop-requirement items appear as statement codes like this one or as a matching list of crops against climate and soil conditions.
Assertion (A): There are no tea plantations in any African country. Reason (R): Tea plants need fertile soil with high humus.
- (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
Answer(d) A is false but R is true
UPSC certifies the soil requirement that this item tests — deep, acidic, humus-rich and well drained — while marking the popular claim about Africa false, since Kenya is a leading producer.
Though coffee and tea both are cultivated on hill slopes, there is some difference between them regarding their cultivation. In this context, consider the following statements : 1. Coffee plant requires a hot and humid climate of tropical areas whereas tea can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical areas. 2. Coffee is propagated by seeds but tea is propagated by stem cuttings only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(a) 1 only
Its first statement is marked correct and is word for word the claim in statement 1 of this NDA item — tea does grow in both tropical and sub-tropical areas.
Consider the following statements pertaining to Coffee plantation in India : 1. Need warm and moist climate with a spell of dry weather during the ripening period 2. Rolling fields having good drainage 3. Strong sunshine over hilly slopes exceeding temperature 35°C 4. Karnataka is the leading producer in India Which of the statements given above are correct ?
- (a) 1 and 4 only
- (b) 1, 2 and 3
- (c) 3 and 4
- (d) 1, 2 and 4
Answer(d) 1, 2 and 4
The companion crop from the previous session, built the same way — genuine climate and drainage conditions with one overstated requirement planted among them.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The soil best suited to tea cultivation is
- (a)alkaline, rich in lime
- (b)deep, well-drained, humus-rich and acidic
- (c)shallow and sandy with poor drainage
- (d)saline and waterlogged
Answer(b) deep, well-drained, humus-rich and acidic — standing water and lime both damage the crop.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following distinguishes coffee cultivation from tea cultivation?
- (a)Coffee needs a hot and humid tropical climate with a dry spell during ripening
- (b)Coffee needs frost through the growing season
- (c)Coffee is grown only on flat waterlogged land
- (d)Coffee needs an alkaline soil
Answer(a) Coffee needs a hot and humid tropical climate with a dry spell during ripening, whereas tea does well in tropical and sub-tropical areas with moisture throughout.