2016 · Q25
Besides resistance to pests, what are the other prospects for which plants have been genetically engineered?
- 1To enable theme withstand drought
- 2To increase the nutritive value of the produce
- 3To enable them to grow and do photosynthesis in spaceships and space stations
- 4To increase their shelf life
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
General ScienceBiology
- A1, 2 and 3 only
- B3 and 4 only
- C1, 2 and 4 only
- D1, 2, 3 and 4
Explanation
Real applications of genetic engineering in plants include drought-tolerant varieties (1), biofortified crops such as Golden Rice with higher nutritive value (2), and the Flavr Savr tomato with longer shelf life (4). Engineering plants to grow and photosynthesize in spaceships (3) is not a genuine prospect. This matches the official key for this repeated UPSC question. Hence 1, 2 and 4 — option (C).