PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY Question Papers (Regular, 2008)

SET: 1

1. What do you understand by micropropagation? What are the different pathways of morphogenesis in vitro?

2. Can you expect double haploid production during anther culture in vitro. How you can differentiate between haploid and diploid plants during the growth until maturity.

3. What are secondary metabolites. What is the biosynthetic origin of secondary metabolites, why is it synthesized and how it is regulated in plants.

4. Describe in detail Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer in Plants.

5. Write in detail how herbicide resistant plants can be produced for Triazines and Phosphinothricine.

6. What do you understand by abiotic stress, discuss various abiotic stresses and their effect on plants.

7. What do you understand by molecular farming, explain with few examples.

8. What is metabolic engineering. Discuss about the strategies for the manipulation of secondary metabolic pathways.

SET: 2

1. What are the minimum facilities needed for the development of a plant tissue culture set up.

2. What are somaclonal variations, discuss their application with suitable examples.

3. How important are the secondary metabolites for the plant itself and for biotechnological applications.

4. Give an account of gene transfer methods in plants for the production of transgenic plants.

5. Describe about the strategies employed for genetically engineered plants for herbicide resistance.

6. Discuss the global status of abiotic stress resistant transgenic crops.

7. Discuss how plants can be used as bioreactors for the production of foriegn proteins.

8. Give an example of the first metabolic engineering of secondary metabolism in plants and discuss in detail.

SET: 3

1. What do you mean by surface sterilization of explants. Discuss the procedure for establishment of in vitro culture.

2. What are haploids? Discuss their significance in plant improvement.

3. What do you understand by plant cell immobilization and what are its advantages for secondary metabolite production.

4. Give a detailed note on plant transformation vectors.

5. Describe how insect resistant transgenic plants can be developed using protease inhibitor and alpha-amylase inhibitor.

6. What is oxidative stress, discuss how superoxide dismutase gene helps to produce transgenic plants resistant to oxidative stress.

7. Describe about the methods for the expression of foreign proteins in transgenic plants.

8. Discuss how overproduction of Petunia chalcone isomerase in tomato results in fruit with increased levels of flavanols.

SET: 4

1. What plant growth regulators would you recommend for callus induction in vitro. What explants would you recommend to obtain embryogenic callus in vivo. Explain in detailwith its applications.

2. Discuss the process of cryopreservation in detail and write about its implications in the germplasm conservation on plants.

3. Describe with some examples where in vitro cell and tissue culture systems are exploited commercially for the production of secondary metabolites.

4. Give a detailed outline of plant transformation technology and describe different methods.

5. Give your opinion about the transgenic plants extensively used by farmers for cultivation in India.

6. There is great success for transgenic plant production for biotic stress, however there is a lacuna which needs to be unplugged for abiotic stress, justify with example.

7. Discuss with suitable examples production of pharmaceutically important pesticides in plants.

8. Give an account of the genetic engineering of plants for production of Vitamin E.