Step 1: A monsoon break depletes readily available soil moisture during critical crop stages.
Step 2: Short breaks are buffered by residual moisture, but beyond about 15 days the buffer runs out.
Step 3: Once the buffer is exhausted, root uptake falls behind transpiration, stressing the crop and lowering yield.
Step 4: Correct option, both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).