ARS Mains Examination Previous Year Question Paper GPB - 2009

Crop Improvement

Section 'A'

1. (a) What are Okazaki fragments?
   (b) Explain the significance of degeneracy and Wobble hypothesis.

2. Provide experimental proof for the following:
   (a) DNA is the genetic material, not proteins.
   (b) One gene one enzyme hypothesis.

3. (a) Mention different types of DNA based markers and their characteristics?
   (b) What advantages do microsatellite markers offer?

4. How do you define an 'Operon'? Explain briefly the inducible and repressible operons, citing suitable examples.

5. How are Monosomics used for gene mapping?

6. (a) How are chloroplast and mitochondrial genome different from nuclear genome?
   (b) What are the applications of mitochondrial genome analysis for crop improvement?

7. Describe the salient features of Lamprush chromosomes (with diagrams) and discuss their utility in genetics study.

8. (a) What is meant by comparative mapping. Mention its utility.
   (b) What are the various types of repetitive DNA in genome?

9. (a) Differentiate between heterochromatin and Euchromatin.
   (b) List out the various types of chromosome banding techniques and explain any one.

10. Describe complementary and supplementary gene interactions with suitable examples.

11. Explain the mechanism through which 5-bromouracil, nitrous acid and EMS bring about mutations.

12. Diagrammatically show the differences and consequences of paracentric inversion and pericentric inversion.

13. Briefly describe post transcriptional processing in eukaryotes. Explain its significance.

14. (a) What is the present concept of a 'gene'
    (b) What are 'multiple alleles'? Explain the concept with suitable examples.

15. 
    
    Write short notes on:
    (a) Haploids
    (b) Chromosomes
    (c) Breeding applications of interchanges
    (d) Law of homologous series of variation

Section 'B'

16. Explain with the suitable examples, the roles of mutation, polyploidy and chromosomal aberrations in evolution of crops.

17. Describe the procedure involved in producing synthetic and composite varieties.

18. What are the components of genetic variance? How they are estimated? Explain how these values are used in breeding procedures?

19. (a) Compare breeder seed and certified seed.
    (b) Explain how seed certification is carried out.

20. (a) Differentiate domestication and pre breeding.
    (b) Explain how the present day maize and sorghum were derived from their progenitors.

21. (a) How do you define 'adaptability' and 'stability' in relation to breeding?
    (b) Explain briefly the procedures used for stability analysis

22. What is linkage disequilibrium? Briefly describe the various factors influencing linkage disequilibrium.

23. Write short notes on the following:
    (a) c DNA libraries
    (b) Methods of DNA sequencing

24. (a) What are the applications of genetic diversity analysis in plant breeding?
    (b) Mention the advantages of molecular markers offer in relation to diversity analysis?

25. What is meant by marker assisted selection? Explain how DNA based markers can help in pyramiding genes for disease resistance, using suitable examples.

26. Explain the procedure of biosafety evaluation and release of transgenic cultivar in the Indian context.

27. Differentiate between 'plant breeder's right', breeder's exemption and farmers right under the PPV and FR act of India.

28. Write short notes on:
    (a) Test of significance
    (b) Phenotypic and genotypic correlations
    (c) Probability

29. What are the problems encountered with respect to nutritional quality in the use of following crops? Briefly mention the strategies used to overcome these problems.
    (a) Jathyrus
    (b) Mustard

30. What are salient reproductive systems observed in crop plants? What mechanisms/features are responsible for cross pollination? Which system pollination do you think is the most evolved? Justify.

Section C

31. (a) What are exsitu conservation and insitu conservation?
    (b) Mention the advantages of insitu conservation of species economic importance.

32. Describe the various types and sources of commercial fibers and their economic importance in the Indian context.

33. Describe the importance of crop plants belonging to the families Leguminosae and Solanaceae.

34. (a) Distinguish features of plant classification by bantham and hooker.
    (b) Give the botanical classification and distribution of sunflower.

35. What are the various uses of maize?

36. What are the different centers of origin of crop plants? Briefly describe the importance of any one of the centers, providing suitable examples.

37. Briefly describe what useful nutrients are mainly or typically found in the following plant parts:
    (a) Cereals
    (b) Fruits
    (c) Leafy vegetables
    (d) Root crops
    (e) Grain legumes

38. Write short notes on the economic uses and distribution of:
    (a) Coconut
    (b) Castor
    (c) Sorghum

39. Compare the oil quality and economic uses of groundnut, mustard and linseed.

40. Enlist the at least ten important medicinal plants with botanical names. Indicate their economic products and the plant parts from where they are derived.

41. Write short notes on

(a) Citronella

(b) Geranium

(c) Biopesticides

(d) Turmeric

42. Provide the floral diagrams of any four of the following

(a) Rice

(b) Chickpea

(c) Sunflower

(d) Cotton

(e) Sunhemp

43. Give the botanical classification, distribution economic uses and important varieties of pearl millet.

44. What is the economic importance of sugar beets? Briefly discuss how sugar beets can effectively supplement the sugar industry?

45. What are the important plants that can be potentially utilized as biofuels? Discuss any two plants in detail.

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