RAS question
Rajasthan ranks first in India in wool production. Which sheep breed of Rajasthan produces the finest carpet wool and is known as the 'Merino of Rajasthan'?
Correct answer: (B) Chokla.
Chokla, also known as Shekhawati sheep, is the Rajasthan sheep breed known as the Merino of Rajasthan because it produces the finest carpet wool.
Explanation
Chokla is the answer because it is Rajasthan's finest carpet-wool sheep breed. The Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Rajasthan lists Chokla as also known as Shekhawati and places it in Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and adjoining parts of Rajasthan, with true-to-type animals found in Sikar and Churu. Chokla produces short, fine wool, with a staple length of 4-7 cm and a fibre diameter of 19-22 microns. That fine wool quality is why it is popularly called the Merino of India or the Merino of Rajasthan, while Rajasthan's wider wool-production lead gives the fact extra importance in state geography.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Nali is associated with Churu, Jhunjhunu and Nagaur and gives coarse wool suited to blankets, so it does not match the finest carpet-wool breed asked here.
- (C) Pugal belongs to the Bikaner area and produces medium-quality wool, not the finest carpet wool linked with the Merino of Rajasthan title.
- (D) Sonadi is found around Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Bhilwara and is noted for long drooping ears rather than the finest wool quality.
Concept
This tests the livestock-and-wool-production part of Rajasthan economic geography. RAS repeats such breed-location-product questions because they connect regional pastoral resources with district geography and state production patterns.