{"id":91607,"date":"2025-06-01T11:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?p=91607"},"modified":"2025-06-01T11:00:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:00:54","slug":"with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements :<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity.<\/li>\n<li>Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle.<\/li>\n<li>Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Which of the statements given above is\/are correct ?<\/p>\n<p>[amp_mcq option1=&#8221;1 and 2 only&#8221; option2=&#8221;3 only&#8221; option3=&#8221;1 and 3 only&#8221; option4=&#8221;1, 2 and 3&#8243; correct=&#8221;option2&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"psc-box-pyq-exam-year-detail\">\n<div class=\"pyq-exam\">\n<div class=\"psc-heading\">This question was previously asked in<\/div>\n<div class=\"psc-title line-ellipsis\">UPSC IAS &#8211; 2018<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pyq-exam-psc-buttons\"><a href=\"\/pyq\/pyq-upsc-ias-2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"psc-pdf-button\" rel=\"noopener\">Download PDF<\/a><a href=\"\/pyq-upsc-ias-2018\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"psc-attempt-button\" rel=\"noopener\">Attempt Online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"pyq-correct-answer\">\nThe correct answer is B) 3 only.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"pyq-key-points\">\nLet&#8217;s evaluate each statement:<br \/>\n1.  **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil&#8217;s ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter.<br \/>\n2.  **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle.<br \/>\n3.  **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"pyq-additional-information\">\nSoil health is critical for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem function. Organic matter content not only improves water holding capacity but also enhances soil structure, aeration, nutrient availability, and supports beneficial microbial activity. Salinization is a major land degradation issue globally, often exacerbated by unsustainable irrigation practices and poor drainage.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements : A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity. Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle. Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands. Which of the statements given above &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/#more-91607\">Detailed Solution<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1092],"tags":[1114,1136,1137],"class_list":["post-91607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc-ias","tag-1114","tag-environment-and-ecology","tag-pollution","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.2 (Yoast SEO v23.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The correct answer is B) 3 only. Let&#039;s evaluate each statement: 1. **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil&#039;s ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter. 2. **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle. 3. **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The correct answer is B) 3 only. Let&#039;s evaluate each statement: 1. **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil&#039;s ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter. 2. **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle. 3. **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MCQ and Quiz for Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T11:00:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement","description":"The correct answer is B) 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil's ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter. 2. **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle. 3. **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement","og_description":"The correct answer is B) 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil's ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter. 2. **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle. 3. **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.","og_url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/","og_site_name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","article_published_time":"2025-06-01T11:00:54+00:00","author":"rawan239","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"rawan239","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/","name":"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-01T11:00:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-01T11:00:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209"},"description":"The correct answer is B) 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity:** This statement is incorrect. Organic matter is like a sponge; it significantly *increases* the soil's ability to absorb and retain water. Soils with high organic matter content hold much more water than soils with low organic matter. 2. **Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle:** This statement is incorrect. Soil plays a vital role in the sulphur cycle. It is a major reservoir for sulphur, primarily in organic form. Microorganisms in the soil are essential for the transformation of sulphur compounds (e.g., decomposition of organic matter releasing sulphate, oxidation and reduction reactions of sulphur compounds). Plant uptake of sulphate from the soil is also a key part of the cycle. 3. **Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands:** This statement is correct. Irrigation water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, contains dissolved salts. When water is applied to fields, plants use some water, and much of it evaporates from the soil surface. The dissolved salts, however, are left behind. Without adequate drainage, these salts accumulate in the topsoil over time, leading to salinization, which reduces soil fertility and plant growth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/with-reference-to-agricultural-soils-consider-the-following-statement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UPSC IAS","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/category\/upsc-ias\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/","name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209","name":"rawan239","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"rawan239"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/author\/rawan239\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91607\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}