Here is Question No. 21 a part of our series on UPSC Prelims 2022.
Q21. Among the following crops, which one is the most important anthropogenic source of both methane and nitrous oxide?
a) Cotton
b) Rice
c) Sugarcane
d) Wheat
Answer – B
- Methane and nitrous oxide are important greenhouse gases. They contribute to global warming. Important anthropogenic sources of biogenic methane are wet rice fields, cattle, animal waste, landfills and biomass burning. Paddy fields are anthropogenic sources of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), which have been reckoned as 273 and 80-83 times more powerful than CO2 in driving temperature increase in 20 years. Paddies are a potential source of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. In paddies, both the soil and the rice plants emit N2O into the atmosphere. The rice plant in the paddy is considered to act as a channel between the soil and the atmosphere for N2O emission. Flooded rice cultivation has been identified as one of the leading global agricultural sources of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions. Furthermore, it has been estimated that global rice production is responsible for 11% of total anthropogenic CH4 emissions.
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