UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ICAR's Genome Breakthrough Paves Way for Better Pigeonpea Varieties

Q1. With reference to the pigeonpea assembly designated NIPB_CcT2T_4, consider the following: 1. An assembled genome size of about 752.65 million base pairs 2. An assembly comprising 92 contigs 3. Identification of 48,008 genes and 36,557 mRNA sequences 4. A transcriptome alignment accuracy of 99.9 per cent Which of the above is/are correctly identified as features of that assembly?

  1. An assembled genome size of about 752.65 million base pairs
  2. An assembly comprising 92 contigs
  3. Identification of 48,008 genes and 36,557 mRNA sequences
  4. A transcriptome alignment accuracy of 99.9 per cent
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q2. What is the principal advance that a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly achieves over an earlier chromosome-scale draft assembly of the same species?

  • A. It records the complete set of transcripts expressed by the organism across all its tissues and growth stages
  • B. It determines the base sequence of the organelle genomes in addition to that of the nuclear genome
  • C. It closes the residual gaps in the assembly, including the highly repetitive regions that fragment earlier assemblies
  • D. It assigns every predicted gene a biological function verified by experimental validation in the laboratory

Q3. The telomere-to-telomere reference genome of pigeonpea released in 2026 was developed by which one of the following institutions?

  • A. National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, under the Ministry of Science and Technology
  • B. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  • C. Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
  • D. ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Q4. Which one of the following groups of three States together accounts for the largest share — about 55 per cent — of India's total pulses production?

  • A. Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
  • B. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Telangana
  • C. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh
  • D. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan

Q5. Under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, what is the ceiling on financial assistance for setting up a pulse processing unit?

  • A. 25 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 33 lakh per unit
  • B. 50 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 20 lakh per unit
  • C. 33 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 25 lakh per unit
  • D. 40 per cent of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 15 lakh per unit

Q6. The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, first announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, was thereafter approved for implementation by which authority, and for what period?

  • A. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in February 2025, for the period 2025-26 to 2029-30
  • B. The Union Cabinet, in July 2025, for the period 2025-26 to 2031-32
  • C. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in October 2025, for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31
  • D. The Union Cabinet, in October 2025, for the period 2025-26 to 2030-31

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and its institutional set-up: 1. It functions under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. 2. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology is located on the campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. 3. ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, is one of the Deemed-to-be-Universities under ICAR. 4. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, having led the pigeonpea genome work, holds Deemed-to-be-University status under ICAR. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It functions under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  2. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology is located on the campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.
  3. ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, is one of the Deemed-to-be-Universities under ICAR.
  4. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, having led the pigeonpea genome work, holds Deemed-to-be-University status under ICAR.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. Consider the following statements about India's pulses economy: 1. India's pulses production rose from about 192.6 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to about 252.38 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. 2. India's import dependence in pulses fell from about 29 per cent in 2015-16 to about 10.4 per cent in 2022-23. 3. In 2023-24, India's exports of pulses exceeded its imports of pulses. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's pulses production rose from about 192.6 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to about 252.38 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.
  2. India's import dependence in pulses fell from about 29 per cent in 2015-16 to about 10.4 per cent in 2022-23.
  3. In 2023-24, India's exports of pulses exceeded its imports of pulses.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. Consider the following statements about the use of genome information in crop improvement: 1. The 2011 pigeonpea draft genome enabled the identification of over twelve hundred genes associated with disease resistance and about one hundred and fifty genes linked to tolerance of drought, heat and salinity. 2. Marker-assisted selection allows breeders to select plants carrying a target trait at an early stage using linked DNA markers, whereas conventional selection depends on the trait being expressed in the field. 3. Once a gap-free reference genome is available for a crop, multi-location field evaluation of breeding lines is no longer required before a variety is released. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2011 pigeonpea draft genome enabled the identification of over twelve hundred genes associated with disease resistance and about one hundred and fifty genes linked to tolerance of drought, heat and salinity.
  2. Marker-assisted selection allows breeders to select plants carrying a target trait at an early stage using linked DNA markers, whereas conventional selection depends on the trait being expressed in the field.
  3. Once a gap-free reference genome is available for a crop, multi-location field evaluation of breeding lines is no longer required before a variety is released.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3