Context:
Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), issued an advisory to control ‘kole roga’ (fruit rot disease) in Arecanut plantations.
Arecanut:
- Commercial crop which is an essential ingredient of tobacco.
- Also called – Betelnut or supari
- Growth conditions –
- Altitude – 1000 m from mean sea level.
- Temperature – Between 4°C and 40°C.
- Rainfall – Abundant and well distributed.
- Can grow in as low as 750 mm rainfall to as high as 4500 mm.
- Soil – Laterite, red loam and alluvial soils are most suitable
Production in India:
- Largest Producer – Karnataka
- Major Producers – Kerala, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- 2 varieties – White variety and Red variety.
- White areca nut – Produced by harvesting the fully ripe nuts and then subjecting them to sun drying for about 2 months.
- Red variety – Green areca nut is harvested, boiled and then its exterior husk is removed.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following pairs:
Region Well-known for the production of
1. Kinnaur Arecanut
2. Mewat Mango
3. Coromandel Soya bean
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None
Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Pair 1 is incorrect. Kinnaur is in Himachal Pradesh. Major Arecanut growing crops are in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and West Bengal.
Pair 2 is incorrect. Mewat is in Haryana. Mango is commercially cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Pair 3 is incorrect. Leading states of Soyabean are Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh that are not Coromandel Coast.
