Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Agricultural crops are susceptible to specific insect pests and plant diseases.
Correctly identifying these associations is essential for implementing targeted pest management strategies.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us pair each crop in List I with its corresponding pest or disease in List II:
- A. Rice: The Brown Plant Hopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is a major pest of rice that sucks sap and transmits viral diseases, matching with II. Brown plant hopper.
- B. Chickpea: The Chickpea Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera) is a highly destructive pest that feeds on leaves and bores into developing pods, matching with IV. Pod borer.
- C. Groundnut: The White Grub (Holotrichia consanguinea) is a soil-dwelling pest that damages the root systems of groundnut plants, matching with V. White grub.
- D. Maize: The Maize Stem Borer (Chilo partellus) bores into the stems of maize plants, disrupting nutrient flow, matching with III. Stem borer.
- E. Wheat: Karnal Bunt (Tilletia indica) is a significant fungal disease of wheat that affects grain quality, matching with I. Karnal bunt.
This gives the sequence: A - II, B - IV, C - V, D - III, E - I.
Step 2: Final Answer:
This sequence matches Option (C).