Consider the following techniques/ phenomena:
- 1. Budding and grafting in fruit plants
- 2. Cytoplasmic male sterility
- 3. Gene silencing
Which of the above is/are used to create transgenic crops?
1 only
2 and 3
1 and 3
None
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Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2014
2. Cytoplasmic male sterility: While CMS itself is a biological phenomenon used in hybrid breeding, genetic engineering techniques *can* be used to introduce or restore male sterility genes (like the barnase/barstar system), thereby creating transgenic plants with engineered CMS. In this context, the concept is linked to the creation of transgenics for breeding purposes.
3. Gene silencing: Techniques like RNA interference (RNAi) are methods of gene silencing where the expression of a specific gene is inhibited. These techniques are widely used in genetic engineering to modify plants, for example, to reduce levels of undesirable compounds, improve nutritional value, or confer resistance. Using gene silencing to modify a plant *creates* a transgenic crop.