Question

First genetically modified plant commercially released in India is
A. Golden rice
B. Flavr Savr
C. Bt brinjal
D. Bt cotton

Answer 1

To improve the quality of the crop as well as yield of the crops, certain crops have undergone genetic engineering methods. Such crops are called genetically modified crops.

Complete Answer:
- In genetic modification, the DNA of the plant cell will be modified using the genetic engineering methods in order to build resistance against the insects, to increase the crop yield, to increase the immunity to various plant diseases, to increase the nutritional value of the plant and various other purposes.
- In India, the first genetically modified plant to be commercialized was Bt cotton. The Bt cotton was obtained by incorporating the Cry genes(Cry2Ab and Cry1Ac) that is responsible for the production of endotoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria into the genome of the ordinary cotton plant.
- Bt cotton increases the yield of the crops as they have effective control over the ballworms; as these ballworms are sensitive to the endotoxic protein that is present in the Bt cotton. ‘Bt’ in ‘Bt cotton’ stands for biotechnology which means that the modification in the crop is done through biotechnology.

Therefore the correct answer is (D) Bt cotton.

Note: Hybridisation of crops is a natural process. It does not include any addition or removal of the genome deliberately. In case of genetically modified plants, a particular genome is removed or added deliberately in the laboratory. The drawback with hybridization is that in the second generation, they don't reproduce true. The problem with GMO plants is that the results are unknown and variable which may be harmful to humans and other animals.