Question

The dwarf varieties of wheat brought from Mexico into India were:
A. Sonara-64 and Sonalika
B. Sonará-64 and Lerma Roja-64
C. Sharbati Sonora and Pusa Lerma
D. Sonalika

Answer 1

Lodging is the bending of plants before harvesting. It is caused by biotic or abiotic factors and is one of the major causes of damage to the wheat crop in India. Semi-dwarf wheat varieties have the gene for the reduced stature of the plant and therefore, are lodging resistant.

Complete step by step answer: Green Revolution was introduced in India with an aim to increase crop production. Some of the strategies followed to achieve the target were the introduction of high yield variety seeds and improved availability of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug is known as the father of the Green Revolution in the World. He developed semi-dwarf and lodging resistant wheat varieties at the International Centre for Wheat and Maize Improvement in Mexico. Due to the agro-climatic conditions present in wheat-growing areas of India similar to Mexico, the introduction of the semi-dwarf varieties of wheat of Mexican origin was followed. It included the introduction of Sonara 63, Mayo 64, Lerma Roja 64, and Sonara 64 in India. These varieties were high yielding, widely adapted, and resistant to rust and lodging. Pusa Lerma is a Mexican variety of wheat that is also semi-dwarf and high yielding.
However, since the Mexican wheat varieties produce red wheat grain, several native semi-dwarf varieties of wheat were developed by plant breeding in India. For instance, Sonalika and Sharbati Sonara are semi-dwarf and high yielding varieties of wheat developed in India.
So, the correct answer is option B. Sonará-64 and Lerma Roja-64.

Note: Indian geneticist M.S. Swaminathan is also known as the father of the green revolution in India. He used mutation breeding to mutate the red grain genes of Sonara 64 to produce the wheat varieties that produce amber grains. Jaya and Ratna are the semi-dwarf varieties of wheat developed in India.