Q1. Given below are two statements: Statement (I): Alluvial soils contain an adequate amount of potassium, phosphoric acid and lime, which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops. Statement (II): This soil contains enough quantity of nitrogen. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.
Explanation
Alluvial soils are generally fertile and contain useful amounts of potash, phosphoric acid and lime, so they support crops such as sugarcane, paddy, wheat, cereals and pulses. That makes the first statement correct. The second statement is wrong because alluvial soils are commonly deficient in nitrogen and need nitrogenous inputs for sustained cropping. Therefore, the claim that both statements are correct fails, and the claim that both are incorrect also fails. The reverse pairing, where only the nitrogen statement is accepted, is not supported by the standard soil description.