Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R
Assertion A: Male sterility is considered to be most important for commercial hybrid seed production of vegetable crops.
Reason R: The male sterile lines eliminate the tedious emasculation procedure and make it possible to produce hybrid seed.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below

• 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:

Male sterility acts as a "natural emasculator" in plants. Because it bypasses the manual labor of hand-emasculation, it is the primary genetic tool used for commercial hybrid seed production in crops like onion, carrot, and brassicas.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Hybrid seed production in vegetable crops relies on cross-pollination between two genetically distinct parent lines.
To ensure that only cross-pollination occurs, self-pollination must be prevented.
This is traditionally achieved by manually removing the pollen-producing organs (emasculation) from the female parent.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Assertion A Analysis: Emasculation is highly laborious, time-consuming, expensive, and prone to human error.
Therefore, utilizing genetic mechanisms like male sterility is considered the most efficient and commercially viable approach in hybrid seed production. Thus, Assertion A is correct.
Reason R Analysis: Male sterile lines possess non-functional pollen, meaning they cannot self-pollinate.
This completely eliminates the need for manual emasculation of the female parent.
By planting male sterile lines as the female parent alongside a compatible pollen donor (male parent), hybrid seeds can be produced naturally via wind or insect pollination on a large commercial scale.
This makes the entire process economically viable and highly efficient.
Therefore, Reason R is correct and directly explains why male sterility is highly important.

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