Question

The vector which is most commonly used in crop improvement is:

• A. Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC)
• B. Agrobacterium
• C. T4 phage
• D. Cosmid

Hint:

Agrobacterium = "Natural Genetic Engineer" for plants.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Concept
Genetic engineering in plants often requires a vector capable of transferring and integrating foreign DNA into the host genome.

Step 2: Meaning
Crop improvement involves creating transgenic plants with desirable traits like pest resistance or increased yield.

Step 3: Analysis
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil bacterium known as "nature's genetic engineer." It possesses a Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid that naturally transfers a segment of DNA (T-DNA) into plant cells. Scientists modify this plasmid to carry beneficial genes instead of tumor-causing ones. While BACs and Cosmids are used for cloning large DNA segments, they are not primary delivery vectors for whole-crop transformation like Agrobacterium.

Step 4: Conclusion
Due to its natural ability to integrate DNA into plant genomes, Agrobacterium is the most widely used vector in plant biotechnology. Final Answer: (B)