Consider the following crops of India:
- 1.Cowpea
- 2.Green gram
- 3.Pigeon pea
Which of the above is/are used as pulse, fodder and green manure?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three crops qualify, so the answer is (d). Cowpea, green gram and pigeon pea are leguminous crops. Each gives a pulse grain, each can feed livestock, and each can be grown and turned into the soil as green manure.
- ✓ 1. Cowpea's dry beans are used as a pulse. Because of its nutritive value and soil-improving properties, it is also used as fodder, green manure and cover crop. It is a Kharif pulse grown for grain, forage and green manure.
- ✓ 2. Green gram (moong) is eaten as whole or split dal. Its plant and haulms are fed to cattle. It is also grown as a green-manure crop, enriching the soil through nitrogen fixation.
- ✓ 3. Pigeon pea (arhar/tur) seed is the familiar dal. Its leaves and pods are a palatable, protein-rich fodder. Its leafy biomass can also be returned to the soil as green manure.
- ✗ (b) This wrongly drops cowpea and pigeon pea, which also serve all three purposes.
- ✗ (a) This leaves out pigeon pea, which is also a pulse that yields fodder and green manure.
Remember · Cowpea, green gram and pigeon pea are triple-purpose legumes. They give pulse grain, fodder and green manure, and they enrich soil by fixing nitrogen.
Sources
- ICAR-CCARI: Crop – Vegetable cowpea ↗ · reference work “Tender pods are used as vegetable and dry beans as pulse. Due to its nutritive value and soil improving properties, it is also used as a fodder, green manure and cover crop.”
- IGNOU eGyankosh, Field Crops, Unit 9: Pulse Crops (cowpea, green gram, pigeonpea) ↗ · reference work “It is one of the important Kharif pulses grown in India for grain, forage, and green manure.”
- Feedipedia: Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) forage ↗ · reference work “Cajanus cajan has numerous uses in animal feeding. The leaves and pods are valuable and palatable protein-rich fodder.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
