Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and other one labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A) : Establishment of cashew orchards by seedling is not recommended
Reason (R) : Cashew is a cross-pollinated crop

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true.

Hint:

For cross-pollinated perennial trees, sexual reproduction (seedlings) leads to genetic segregation and high variability. Therefore, soft-wood grafting (cloning) is recommended for cashew orchard establishment.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
To establish a high-yielding, uniform commercial orchard, vegetative (clonal) propagation is preferred over seed propagation for heterozygous, cross-pollinated perennial fruit crops.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the Assertion and the Reason:
- Assertion (A) is true: Raising a commercial cashew (Anacardium occidentale) orchard using seedlings is highly discouraged.
Seedling trees exhibit high phenotypic variation, prolonged juvenile phases, uneven canopy growth, and inconsistent, low nut yields.
- Reason (R) is true: Cashew is a highly cross-pollinated crop (andromonoecious, insect-pollinated).
Due to cross-pollination, seeds undergo high genetic recombination and segregation.
Consequently, the offspring (seedlings) do not breed true-to-type, showing massive genetic variation compared to the elite mother plant.
- Explanation relationship: The highly heterozygous, cross-pollinated nature of cashew explains why seeds produce highly variable offspring, which directly justifies why seedling propagation is not recommended for commercial orchards.
Therefore, Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Step 3: Final Answer:
Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).