Question

High-yielding varieties of wheat were primarily developed by Indian scientists by cross-breeding traditional varieties with
A. American varieties
B. Mexican varieties
C. European varieties
D. African varieties

Answer 1

Hint: Wheat is a popularly eaten whole grain that forms a major portion of the world’s diet. It is a grass species and its many species exist. The traditional wheat varieties were crossbred with dwarf wheat varieties from a North American country.

Complete answer: Wheat or Triticum genus is a group of grass species. It is a popularly eaten staple diet source used in the manufacturing of various whole grain products. The archaeological analysis suggests that the cultivation of wheat dates back to 9600 BCE. Turkey, Iraq and Syria are considered origin countries for wheat cultivation. From 1960 to 2000, wheat production boosted from 11 million tonnes to 75 million tonnes. It occurred due to the development of a new wheat species called semi-dwarf varieties of wheat. At the International Centre for Wheat and Maize Improvement located in Mexico, Norman E. Borlaug, who is a Nobel laureate, created the semi-dwarf wheat species. This species was first released to farmers in 1961. This resulted in the doubling of the average yield of wheat. Indian scientists crossbred the traditional varieties with this semi-dwarf wheat species to create high yielding species such as Kalyan Sona and Sonalika. They were disease-resistant with high yielding capacity. After scientific and economic clearances, new varieties were introduced all over the wheat-growing regions of India. High-yielding varieties of wheat were primarily developed by Indian scientists by cross-breeding traditional varieties with Mexican varieties.
Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note: The semi-dwarf species of wheat were beneficial because they enabled the plant to fix more carbon from the atmosphere. Also, the problem of lodging was fixed with the dwarfness trait in wheat. Lodging refers to the rotting of the ear stalk of the wheat after falling on the ground.