Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

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.