Question

First transgenic plant was tobacco and it contain resistant gene for

A. Insect resistance

B. Herbicide resistance

C. Pest resistance

D. Frost resistance

Answer 1

Transgenic plants are those plants into which one or more genes from other species have been introduced into the genome. The first transgenic plant was tobacco produced in 1982 to express antibiotic resistance.

Complete answer:

- Tobacco is the common name of plants in the Nicotiana genus of Family Solanaceae. There are more than 70 species of tobacco known and the chief commercial crop is Nicotiana tabacum.

- Tobacco consists of addictive stimulant nicotine. The dried leaves are used in making cigarettes as well as in pipes. The use of tobacco can cause many heart, liver and lung diseases and many cancers.

- In 2008, the World Health Organization named tobacco use as the world’s single greatest preventable cause of death.

It is more difficult to generate transgenic animals than plants because of the following reasons:

- Animals are larger and more difficult to handle.

- Animal systems are complex.

- Affected by more genetic and environmental factors than plants.

- Animal systems are difficult to manipulate.

- The very first field trials occurred in France and USA in 1986 where tobacco plants were engineered for herbicide resistance.

So, the correct answer is Herbicide resistance.

Note: Transgenic plants are plants that have been genetically engineered and a breeding approach which uses recombinant DNA techniques to create plants of new characteristics. They are identified as GMO (genetically modified organisms).