With reference to agriculture in India, how can the technique of ‘genome sequencing’, often seen in the news, be used in the immediate future ?
- 1.Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants.
- 2.This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants.
- 3.It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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Answer: D. Statement 1 is correct: sequencing finds genetic markers linked to traits such as disease resistance and drought tolerance. Statement 2 is correct: marker-assisted selection based on these markers cuts the time needed to breed new varieties. Statement 3 is correct: sequencing both crop and pathogen helps scientists understand how diseases infect plants. So 1, 2 and 3.
Watch for: Watch for 'immediate future'. It may make you drop statements that seem long-term, but all three are uses happening now.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because faster breeding and host-pathogen study are also uses.
- B. Wrong because identifying markers is also a use.
- C. Wrong because shorter breeding time is also a use.
Source to check: NCERT Class 12 Biology, Chapter 9 'Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production' and Chapter 6 'Molecular Basis of Inheritance' (Human Genome Project); ICAR (icar.org.in)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.