Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): The recently introduced 'Urea Gold' combines urea with sulphur, reducing wastage and improving the uptake of plant nutrients.
Reason (R): Many soils in India are deficient in organic carbon, macronutrients and essential micronutrients.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
- A(R) is correct, but (A) is not correct
- BBoth (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is correct, but (R) is not correct
- DBoth (A) and (R) are correct, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (d) Both (A) and (R) are correct, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Explanation
Both are correct, and (R) explains (A).
- (A): Urea Gold, launched in 2023, is sulphur-coated urea. The sulphur coating releases the nitrogen slowly, so less is lost by evaporation and leaching, and the plant also gets sulphur, a secondary nutrient that many soils lack.
- (R): many Indian soils are short of organic carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, zinc and other micronutrients, after years of intensive farming and unbalanced use of fertilisers. Products such as Urea Gold are meant to correct these deficiencies.