Question

_____________infects the roots of tobacco plants which reduces the production of tobacco?
A) Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita)
B) Coleopterans (beetles)
C) Lepidopterans (armyworm)
D) Dipterans (mosquitoes)

Answer 1

Hint: These are the roundworms. These are also known as eedworms as these are plant-parasitic. They act as a parasite on other insects. They release bacteria into the host’s body to kill them. And then it eats its host.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of the plant of tobacco which reduces the production of tobacco. Meloidogyne incognita is also called “southern root-nematode“or “cotton root-knot nematode”. A strategy to prevent its infection is based on the process of RNA interference (RNAi). Using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plant.
Beetles are the insects that come under the order of Coleoptera. Most of the beetles eat plant parts, either leaves or seeds or fruit or wood. Some are predators of other small animals. Some of them eat fungus and dung. Even the larvae eat foods different from the adults. Immature Lepidoptera mostly causes damage by biting off pieces of leaves, stems, flowers, roots, fruit, seeds, etc. As they have biting-chewing mouthparts. Lepidoptera is through direct consumption of the plant, not by vectoring diseases. Dipterans feed on various parts of the plant and some cause the plant to produce strange growths called galls. Plant-feeding flies can be destructive crop pests, but some are also used to control weeds.
Hence the correct answer is option A.

Note: RNA interference is a method of cellular defence in eukaryotic organisms. The vector which is used for transferring genes for RNA interference was Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Mobile genetic elements transposons in the viruses having RNA genome can also be used.