Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

Scientist have even isolated single cell protoplasts from two different varieties of plants each having a desirable character and after digesting their cell walls have been able to isolate naked protoplasts (surrounded by plasma membrane) that can be fused to get hybrid protoplast, which can be further grown to form a new plant. These hybrids are called somatic hybrids, while the process is called somatic hybridization.

So the correct sequence for the formation of somatic hybrids is $\mathrm{D}, \mathrm{A}, \mathrm{B}, \mathrm{C}, \mathrm{E}$.

Option A : Fertilised eggs at 4 to 6 cells - stages are recovered non-surgically from super-ovulating cow and transferred to surrogate mother.

This statement is incorrect. In MOET, fertilised eggs or embryos are usually recovered from the super-ovulating cow at around the 8-32 cell stage, not at the 4 to 6 cell stages. This is the primary error in the statement.

Option B : It is used to increase herd size in a short time.

This statement is correct. MOET is indeed used to rapidly increase the size of a herd, by allowing one cow to produce multiple offspring in a relatively short period of time.

Option C : Cow is administered with hormones to induce super-ovulation.

This statement is correct. In MOET, the cow is given hormones to stimulate the release of multiple eggs (super-ovulation), which can then be fertilised and transferred to surrogate mothers.

Option D : Super-ovulating cow is either mated with an elite bull or is artificially inseminated.

This statement is correct. The super-ovulating cow is either naturally bred with a high-quality bull or artificially inseminated to ensure fertilisation of the multiple eggs.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option A because it incorrectly states the stage at which fertilised eggs are recovered from the cow in MOET.

If hybrid seeds are made into apomicts, there is no segregation of characters in the hybrid progeny

Then the farmers can keep on using the hybrid seeds to raise new crop year after year and he does not have to buy hybrid seeds every year.

Option (d) is the correct answer because inbreeding increases homozygosity.

Option (a) s not the correct answer because inbreeding exposes harmful recessive genes that are eliminated by selection.

Option (b) is not the correct answer because inbreeding refers to the mating of more closely related individuals within the same breed for 4-6 generations. This strategy was used for developing pure lines in cattle.

Option (c) is not the correct answer because inbreeding helps in accumulation of superior genes and elimination of less desirable genes.

Biomagnification refers to increase in concentration of the toxicant at successive trophic levels.

Bioremediation is the phenomenon of using biological organism to handle pollution.

Piper nigrum (Black pepper) is regarded as king of spices. It is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae. It is cultivated for its fruit which is used as spice and seasoning in the food industry.

Brassica nigra It is annual black mustard cultivated as oil seed crop.

Piper longum It is used as medicinal plant as it contains piperine alkaloid.

Curcuma longa It is commonly called turmeric and it has medicinal properties. It is also used in cosmetic and dyeing industry.

Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not correct explanation of assertion. Biofortified crop is a source of higher protein, minerals and healthier fats developed by new agronomic practices and biotechnological methods. Azolla pinnata is a pteridophyte which is a biofertiliser used in rice fields.

Assertion : Biofortification is used to increase the nutrient value of crops.

Reason : Meristem culture is used to obtain virus-resistant plants.

Explanation :

The assertion is true, but the reason is false. Biofortification is a technique used to increase the nutrient value of crops. This process involves various methods to produce hybrid crops with higher levels of essential vitamins and proteins, which can significantly improve public health. For example, Atlas 66 is a wheat variety known for its high protein content.

On the other hand, meristem culture is a method used to obtain virus-free plants from virus-infected parent plants, not specifically for creating virus-resistant plants.

Bacterial blight of chickpea is caused by bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. The stem and the leaves of infected plant give blighted or burnt up appearance. Control measures include roguing, 3-years crop rotation, disease-free seeds, spray of copper fungicides (Bordeaux mixture) and antibiotics besides sowing disease resistant varieties.

Intergeneric crosses are made between plants belonging to different genera of the same family. The hybrids produced by this method are both scientifically as well as agronomically significant. For example, Triticale is an allopolyploid, which was produced by intergenic hybridisation between wheat (Triticale) and rye (Secale).

In grafting technique, parts of two plants are joined to form a composite plant. One plant has a strong root system called the stock and the other plant has better flower or fruit yield called the scion. Hence, the fruit produced in such plants has the genotypes of the scion.