UGC NET — Environmental Sciences (subject code 89) · India · National Testing Agency for the University Grants Commission
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe diversity of crops, livestock breeds, their wild relatives and farm-associated species, and how it is conserved and shared. Plant breeding itself sits in the crop sciences; this subject is about the conservation and governance of diversity.
In the exams: ICAR AICE subject 71 Unit 2 (agrobiodiversity, transgenics, PGR); ICAR AICE Plant Genetic Resources; UPSC CSE
UGC NET Environmental Sciences and GATE Ecology and Evolution
Domestication and centres of origin, genetic diversity measures and sampling probability, effective population size in breeds, gene flow from transgenic crops.
How our questions for UGC NET spread across the units of Agrobiodiversity & Genetic Resources. Difficulty: 4 easy, 22 medium, 20 hard.
| Centres of origin and diversity of crops | 6 | |
| Nagoya Protocol and access and benefit-sharing | 6 | |
| Components of agrobiodiversity | 5 | |
| Transgenic crops: environmental risk assessment and biosafety | 5 | |
| International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture | 5 | |
| Genetic erosion and its causes | 4 | |
| Crop wild relatives and landraces | 4 | |
| Exploration and germplasm collection | 3 | |
| On-farm conservation and community seed banks | 3 | |
| Farmers' rights and plant variety protection | 3 | |
| Animal genetic resources and breed conservation | 2 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Which is a typical trait of the 'domestication syndrome' in seed crops?
C. Non-shattering seed heads
Domestication selected for retention of seeds on the plant, reduced dormancy, larger seeds and reduced toxicity. The other options are the opposite.
Further reading: Domestication literature
The 1970 southern corn leaf blight epidemic in the United States spread widely because most hybrid maize shared what?
C. Texas male-sterile cytoplasm
Hybrids widely used T-cytoplasm, which was susceptible to race T of Bipolaris maydis, illustrating genetic vulnerability. Sowing date, fertiliser and irrigation were not the cause.
Further reading: Genetic vulnerability literature
Which is a major cause of genetic erosion in livestock?
D. Indiscriminate crossbreeding with exotic breeds
Crossbreeding and replacement by high-output exotic breeds dilute and displace local breeds. Gene banks, registration and niche markets support conservation.
Further reading: FAO AnGR reports
Crossing noble sugar cane with which wild species ('nobilisation') produced hardy high-yielding varieties in India?
C. Saccharum spontaneum
Breeders at Coimbatore crossed noble canes (S. officinarum) with wild S. spontaneum to combine sugar content with hardiness. The others are the noble cane itself, sorghum and maize.
Further reading: Sugar cane breeding history
In participatory plant breeding, who takes part in selection?
B. Farmers and breeders together
PPB involves farmers and breeders jointly selecting from diverse material under farm conditions. Station-only, company-only or regulator-only selection is conventional or not breeding.
Further reading: PPB literature
Why can in vitro cryopreserved semen and embryos not fully replace living breed populations?
C. Frozen material does not adapt to changing conditions
Cryobanks provide insurance and can reconstitute breeds, but living populations keep adapting and maintain associated production systems and knowledge. Frozen semen is used routinely; the other statements are false.
Further reading: FAO AnGR guidelines
When did the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture enter into force?
C. 2004
Adopted in 2001, the Treaty entered into force in 2004. 1983 was the International Undertaking; 1992 the CBD; 2014 the Nagoya Protocol's entry into force.
Further reading: ITPGRFA 2001
Which agreement is used to transfer material within the Multilateral System?
C. The Standard Material Transfer Agreement
The SMTA provides standard terms for facilitated access, avoiding case-by-case negotiation. CITES permits concern wildlife trade; EIA concerns projects.
Further reading: ITPGRFA 2001
A company's restricted product derived from MLS material has sales of 10000000. Under the SMTA's 1.1 % less 30 % rule, what payment is due?
A. 77000
Rate = 1.1 % × 0.7 = 0.77 %; payment = 10000000 × 0.0077 = 77000. 110000 omits the 30 % reduction; 33000 is the 30 % deducted; 7700 is a decimal slip.
Further reading: ITPGRFA 2001
Which TRIPS provision requires WTO members to protect plant varieties by patents, an effective sui generis system, or both?
B. Article 27.3(b)
TRIPS Article 27.3(b) gives this choice; India chose a sui generis law, the PPV&FR Act. Article 31(f) of TRIPS concerns compulsory licences; Article 9 is the ITPGRFA's farmers' rights article.
Further reading: TRIPS Agreement
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