Question

Brinjal, potato, tobacco and tomato are same as
A. All these plants belong to Solanaceae
B. All these plants belong to Malvaceae
C. All are vegetables
D. Fruit of all have economic importance

Answer 1

Brinjal, potato, tomato and tobacco are all perennial plants of economic importance. They are used in our everyday life. These plants are also harvested as crops and are found in most parts of the world. They are also used as model organisms for research in various fields like molecular biology, evolution, genetics, etc.

Complete answer:
Option (a) is correct. Brinjal, potato, tomato and tobacco belong to the family Solanaceae. All of these plants are of immense economic importance. Brinjal, potato and tomato form a major part of the diet of human beings and are thus important food crops. Though there is a lot of health risk involved with tobacco consumption, it is nevertheless of great economic importance. This is because tobacco farming employs millions of people all over the world with respect to agricultural employment, revenue generation and foreign exchange.
Option (b) is incorrect. Malvaceae is a family of flowering plants of moderate economic importance. The members of this family are used as food crops and also as ornamental plants. The commonly known members of the family Malvaceae are – cotton, okra, cacao, Hibiscus, Malva, etc.
Option (c) is incorrect. Brinjal, potato and tomato are indeed vegetables and are consumed as food by animals and human beings. tobacco, however, is not a vegetable. It is an addictive stimulant prepared from the leaves of Nicotiana plants.
Option (d) is incorrect. Brinjal and tomato are fruits of the eggplant and tomato plants. Potato is a modified stem that grows under the ground and is known as a tuber. The tobacco fruit is edible, but not of economic importance – it is the leaves that are economically important.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Brinjal, potato, tomato and tobacco are all economically important plants that belong to the family Solanaceae. The family Solanaceae comprises a great many varieties of plants that are cultivated and used worldwide. The most common uses of the Solanaceae plants are as food, spices and medicines.