Breeding Cereal Crops MCQs

1. Which of the following breeding methods is most commonly used to improve the yield potential of cereal crops?
(A) Hybridization
(B) Mutagenesis
(C) Clonal selection
(D) Backcross breeding

2. In wheat breeding, the selection for “stay green” is aimed at improving which of the following traits?
(A) Grain protein content
(B) Drought tolerance
(C) Resistance to rust diseases
(D) Seed size

3. Which of the following traits is typically selected for in the breeding of rice for high-temperature tolerance during the grain-filling period?
(A) Early maturity
(B) Leaf rolling
(C) Heat shock protein production
(D) Increased tillering

4. What is the major challenge when breeding sorghum for drought tolerance?
(A) Identifying genetic markers for drought resistance
(B) Reducing seed size for higher yield
(C) Increasing susceptibility to pest and disease
(D) High genetic uniformity in commercial varieties

5. Which of the following is an important trait that breeders select for in barley to enhance malt quality?
(A) High amylose content
(B) Low protein content
(C) Increased plant height
(D) Early flowering

6. What is the primary advantage of using “marker-assisted selection” (MAS) in the breeding of cereal crops?
(A) It allows for faster breeding cycles
(B) It eliminates the need for field testing
(C) It is used to increase seed dormancy
(D) It facilitates the development of genetically modified crops

7. Which of the following is a commonly used approach to improve pest resistance in cereal crops like maize?
(A) Inbreeding depression
(B) Gene pyramiding
(C) Grafting
(D) Polyploidy

8. Which of the following cereal crops is most commonly associated with the use of hybrid breeding to improve yield potential?
(A) Wheat
(B) Rice
(C) Maize
(D) Barley

9. In wheat breeding, which type of genetic variation is most useful for improving disease resistance?
(A) Epigenetic variation
(B) Allelic variation
(C) Transgenic variation
(D) Cytoplasmic variation

10. Which of the following breeding methods is used to transfer specific traits from wild relatives of cereal crops into cultivated varieties?
(A) Mutation breeding
(B) Gene editing
(C) Introgression
(D) Cross-pollination

11. In rice breeding, the development of “submergence-tolerant” varieties focuses on improving the plant’s ability to survive under which condition?
(A) High salinity
(B) Low light availability
(C) Waterlogging
(D) Low temperatures

12. In the context of cereal crop breeding, which of the following is an example of “dwarfing genes” that are often incorporated into breeding programs?
(A) Rht genes in wheat
(B) Sh2 genes in maize
(C) Sd1 genes in rice
(D) D1 genes in barley

13. Which of the following strategies is employed in breeding cereals to improve the nutritional quality of grains?
(A) Hybridization of high-yielding varieties
(B) Biofortification
(C) Crossbreeding with ornamental grasses
(D) Grafting with high-protein legumes

14. What is the primary purpose of “QTL mapping” in cereal breeding?
(A) To develop genetically modified crops
(B) To identify and map genes associated with important traits
(C) To produce seedless cereal varieties
(D) To increase the genetic uniformity of crops

15. In breeding millet, which of the following traits is important for improving yield under low-input conditions?
(A) Increased leaf area index
(B) Higher tiller number
(C) Early maturity
(D) Increased plant height