Question

The plant which is not a component of energy cropping is -
(a) Sugarcane
(b) Sugarbeet
(c) Tapioca
(d) Euphorbia

Answer 1

Hint: Energy cropping is carried out for growing only low-maintenance and low-cost plants that provide energy from combustion. One of the plants stated here is neither low cost or maintenance, and it requires additional care and has extra value. Some species of this plant may also be poisonous in some cases.

Complete answer:
Energy cropping is the cultivation of low-cost and low-maintenance plants for their biomass that is used for the production of fuels and forms of energy from combustion. They can be used to produce biofuels, bioethanol, biogas, etc.
-Examples of energy crops are sugarcane, sugarbeet, wheat, maize, tapioca, jatropha, etc.
-Euphorbia is a petro-crop, which produces a thick and milky latex that can be processed to produce long-chain hydrocarbons that can be converted to petroleum hydrocarbons.
-Hence, the energy crops are sugarcane, sugarbeet, and tapioca.
-Energy crops are being considered to completely replace conventional fossil fuels because they produce extremely low pollution and carbon dioxide.

Additional information:
-Sugarcane is the feedstock in the production of bioethanol from the fermentation of the sugars present in it.
-Sugarbeets and tapioca can also be used for the production of bioethanol.
-Energy crops can be genetically modified to provide higher yields like more biomass.
-Another example of petro-crop includes Calotropis procera.
-The crops can be used to produce solid, liquid, and gaseous biomass for biofuels.

So, the correct answer is option d)‘Euphorbia ‘.

Note:
-Plants used for energy cropping are generally woody or herbaceous.
-Tapioca is also known as cassava.
-Species of Euphorbia may also be skin and eye irritants, and in some cases, may be fatal.