Question

In somatic hybridization of leaf and nucellus cells of pinus the ploidy level is?
A) 2n
B) 3n
C) 5n
D) 4n

Answer 1

Somatic fusion, also called protoplast fusion, is a type of genetic modification in plants by which two distinct species of plants are fused together to form a new hybrid plant with the characteristics of both, a somatic hybrid.

Complete answer:
Pinus is a gymnosperm. A pine is any conifer in the genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae. Pinus is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. Nucellus cells are present in the ovule of a plant and it consists of the embryo sac.
In plants, protoplast of plant cells is fused together to form a new hybrid plant with the characteristics of both the plant cells. Somatic hybridization leads to formation of somatic hybrids.
Pinus is a gymnosperm that belongs to the family Pinaceae. It is a conifer. The leaf cells of pinus have ploidy 2n and the ploidy of nucellus cells of pinus is 2n.
So, the ploidy level of somatic hybrids of leaf and nucellus cells in the pinus will be 4n (2n×2n).

Thus, the correct answer for this question is A, i.e. 2n

Note: Somatic hybridization between cells of different plants species leads to formation of somatic hybrids with more variations. Somatic hybridization was first introduced by Carlson et al. in Nicotiana glauca. Somatic hybridization is used to investigate malignant transformation, to obtain viral replication, for gene or chromosomal mapping.