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RAS question

Rajasthan produces more than 80% of India's total output of guar (cluster bean). Which of the following best explains this dominance, AND correctly identifies how guar serves the livestock sector?

Correct answer: (B) Guar is suited to Rajasthan's arid, sandy, low-rainfall tracts due to its drought tolerance and nitrogen-fixing ability; its haulms (straw/stems) are a major source of dry fodder for livestock in the region..

More than 80% of India's total guar output comes from Rajasthan because this drought-tolerant legume is naturally suited to arid, sandy, low-rainfall tracts, and its dried stems and leaves provide important dry fodder for livestock after harvest.

  1. (A)

    Guar thrives in Rajasthan's heavy monsoon rainfall and clay soils; its seeds are used as the primary cattle feed grain replacing bajra.

  2. (B)

    Guar is suited to Rajasthan's arid, sandy, low-rainfall tracts due to its drought tolerance and nitrogen-fixing ability; its haulms (straw/stems) are a major source of dry fodder for livestock in the region.

  3. (C)

    Guar is grown in Rajasthan's irrigated canal belt; it is primarily used as green fodder and silage for high-yielding crossbred cattle.

  4. (D)

    Rajasthan dominates guar production due to government-mandated cultivation quotas; guar pods are fed directly to poultry as a protein supplement.

Explanation

Rajasthan's lead in guar production is explained by its farming conditions, not by government quotas or canal irrigation. Indian Farming, a publication of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), describes guar as an important drought-tolerant summer legume of arid regions. Rajasthan accounts for around 80% of India's cluster bean area and production, and the crop is grown especially in India's arid regions. The sandy, low-rainfall tracts of western Rajasthan, including Jodhpur, Barmer, Nagaur and Bikaner, are well suited to it. Its drought tolerance and the nitrogen-fixing nodules on its roots make it practical on marginal dryland soils where crops needing more water struggle. Its seed does not replace bajra as the main feed grain for livestock. After the pods are harvested, the remaining dried stems and leaves, known as haulms or crop residue, provide valuable dry roughage when fodder is scarce.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Option A wrongly attributes guar cultivation to heavy monsoon rainfall and clay soils. Guar is suited to arid, sandy, low-rainfall land, and its seeds do not replace bajra as the main feed grain for livestock.
  • (C) Option C wrongly treats guar as a crop of irrigated canal areas and mainly as green fodder or silage. Rajasthan's advantage lies in rainfed dryland farming, while the crop provides dry fodder from its stems and leaves after harvest.
  • (D) Option D wrongly credits a mandatory government cultivation quota for Rajasthan's lead, which actually comes from suitable farming conditions. It is also unfounded to present raw guar pods as a major protein supplement fed directly to poultry.

Concept

This question connects Rajasthan's arid agriculture and the suitability of legume crops with its livestock and fodder economy. Such links matter in RAS because crop distribution must be understood through production figures as well as climate, soil and rural livelihoods.

Source

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