UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 34
Other than resistance to pests, what are the prospects for which genetically engineered plants have been created?
- To enable them to withstand drought
- To increase the nutritive value of the produce
- To enable them to grow and do photosynthesis in spaceships and space stations
- To increase their shelf life
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C
Explanation: Genetic engineering has targeted drought tolerance, nutrition and shelf life, in addition to resistance against pests.
Statement/Item-wise Analysis:
1: Correct - Abiotic-stress tolerance, including drought resistance, is a genetic-engineering target.
2: Correct - Biofortification aims to increase crop nutrient content.
3: Incorrect - Plants are not engineered specifically to perform photosynthesis in spacecraft as a conventional claimed objective here.
4: Correct - Delayed ripening and longer post-harvest life are established engineering goals.
Option-wise Analysis:
A: Incorrect - omits correct item 4.
B: Incorrect - includes incorrect item 3; omits correct items 1, 2.
C: Correct - includes exactly the valid statements/items and excludes the invalid ones.
D: Incorrect - includes incorrect item 3.
Review Note: Space agriculture is an emerging research field, but the exam’s intended set excludes statement 3.