The correct answer is Preservation.

• Preservation is the techniques of extending the storage life of the produce without deteriorating its edible quality for further use.

• Horticultural produce is biological entity with various physiological activities like transpiration and respiration continuing even after harvesting.

• This process leads to the bio-chemical breakdown and cause spoilage of the produce.

• Spoilage is initiated by enzymes present inside the produce, involvement of micro-organism, infestation of insect-pest and invasion of pathogens.

• By taking care of these factors, food products can be stored for longer period.

The correct answer is 66 - 71°C.

• Dehydration is removal of moisture from the food material for preservation.
• The initial temperature of dehydration is usually at 43°C, which is gradually increased up to 60 - 66°C for vegetables and 66 - 71°C for fruits.
• Moisture content in dried products should not be > 6 - 8% for vegetables and 10 - 20% for fruits.
• Sweating is the process, which is done to equalize the moisture content by keeping preserved material into bins or boxes.

Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture.

• The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Tea bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year.
• Frequent showers evenly distributed rainfall (150 cm-250 cm) over the year ensure continuous growth of tender leaves. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• They require loamy soil for their growth. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
• Tea is a labour intensive industry. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.
• Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country.

The answer is Red ripe stage.

• Picking of fruits from the plants mainly depends on the purpose of for which they are grown and the distance through which they are to be transported.
• The different stages at which tomatoes are harvested are immature green, turning pink, half-ripe, and red ripe and overripe.
• Red ripe or ripe fruits are those which have developed full color and are firm.
• Generally, firm mature green fruits best suited for shipping or distance marketing.
• For fresh consumption, tomatoes are harvested at the turning pink or half-ripe stage.
• For seed production red ripe tomatoes are ideal.
• Fruits for canning or juice extraction are harvested when they reach the red ripe stage.

The correct answer is Vegetable forcing.

• Growing vegetables out of their normal season is known as Vegetable forcing.
• Usually, vegetables are grown in greenhouses, glasshouses, and artificial farming to produce off-season vegetables

Important Points

Types of vegetable gardening:

• Truck farming
• Organic farming
• Floating garden
• Kitchen gardening
• Gardening for processing
• Gardening for vegetable seed production

The correct answer is Both 2 and 3.

• Guava (Psidium guajava) belongs to family Myrtaceae.
• Centre of origin of guava is Tropical America.
• Guava is a self pollinated and day neutral plant.
• It needs pH range 4.5 - 7.5.
• Optimum temp. 23 - 28°C.
• Varieties: Allahabad safeda, Banarasi, Chittidar, Sardar, Harijha, Arka Amulya, Arka Mridula.

1. ​Arka Rashmi:

• Developed by Indian Institute of Horticulture Reasearch (IIHR), Bangalore.
• Semi-vigorous and dual purpose variety.
• Red pulp with low oxalate content (28.3 mg/100 g FW). 
• Rich in ascorbic acid (235 mg/100 g) and good TSS ( 12 to 14° Brix).

1. ​Arka Poorna:​

• Developed by Indian Institute of Horticulture Reasearch (IIHR), Bangalore.
• High yielding and suitable for medium to high density planting.
• TSS 10-12° Brix) and ascorbic acid (190-198 mg/100 g).
• It is a dual purpose variety suitable for both table and processing.

 The correct answer 24 - 27°C.

• Mango (Mangifera indica) belongs to family Anacardiaceae.
• Origin of mango is South East Asia.
• Mango is the richest source of vitamin A (4800 IU / 100 mg)
• Mango is a climacteric and tropical fruit.
• Ideal pH range is 6.5 - 8.

• Some other crops temperature requirement:

The correct answer is October - Novermber.

• Pruning is an important operation for maintenance of floriferousness and flower quality along with vigour of rose plants.
• The main objectives of pruning are to remove weak and unproductive shoots which allows air and light to reach plant centre.
• It keeps the plant in proper shape and size.
• Forces the plant buds to break and grow to produce quality flowers.  
• Pruning should be done when plants are less active or dormant.
• It is mainly done during October-November.
• The basic rule of pruning is to cut half centimetre above the vigorous, outward directed bud by giving a slanting cut because it does not retain moisture and prevents fungal growth.

The correct answer is Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Explanation:

Statement I

• Drying is the most economical but time-consuming method of preservation of fruits and vegetables.
• It does not require expensive equipment as compared to the canning and freezing method of preservation.
• Dried fruits and vegetables need little space for storage which reduces the total post-harvest cost. 

• Free moisture is the excess equilibrium moisture content that is removed easily through drying. 
• Drying is the process of removal of moisture to a predetermined level. Thus, it permits the early harvesting of fruits and vegetables.

Mediterranean Agriculture

• Mediterranean agriculture is highly specialised commercial agriculture.
• It is practised in the countries on either side of the Mediterranean sea in Europe and in north Africa from Tunisia to Atlantic coast, southern California, central Chile, south western parts of South Africa and south and south western parts of Australia.
• This region is an important supplier of citrus fruits.
• Viticulture or grape cultivation is a speciality of the Mediterranean region. Best quality wines in the world with distinctive flavours are produced from high quality grapes in various countries of this region. The inferior grapes are dried into raisins and currants. This region also produces olives and figs.
• The advantage of Mediterranean agriculture is that more valuable crops such as fruits and vegetables are grown in winters when there is great demand in European and North American markets.

Co-operative Farming

• A group of farmers forms a co-operative society by pooling in their resources voluntarily for more efficient and profitable farming. Individual farms remain intact and farming is a matter of cooperative initiative.
• Co-operative societies help farmers, to procure all important inputs of farming, sell the products at the most favourable terms and help in the processing of quality products at cheaper rates.
• The co-operative movement originated over a century ago and has been successful in many western European countries like Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy etc.

Plantation Agriculture

• Plantation agriculture as mentioned above was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in the tropics.
• Some of the important plantation crops are tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber, cotton, oil palm, sugarcane, bananas and pineapples.
• The characteristic features of this type of farming are large estates or plantations, large capital investment, managerial and technical support, scientific methods of cultivation, single crop specialisation, cheap labour, and a good system of transportation which links the estates to the factories and markets for the export of the products.

Market Gardening 

• Market gardening and horticulture specialise in the cultivation of high value crops such as vegetables, fruits and flowers, solely for the urban markets.
• Farms are small and are located where there are good transportation links with the urban centre where high income group of consumers is located. It is both labour and capital intensive and lays emphasis on the use of irrigation, HYV seeds, fertilisers, insecticides, greenhouses and artificial heating in colder regions