NEET2004BotanyEnvironmental IssuesActual
Assertion : Agricultural output increased several times after introduction of DDT. Reason : DDT was the first insecticide used on a wide scale.
Options
- AIf both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion
- BIf both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion
- CIf assertion is true but reason is false
- DIf both assertion and reason are false.
Correct answer
A. If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion
Step-by-step solution
DDT or dichloro-diphenyl trichloroethane was the first important synthetic pesticide (organo chlorine) discovered in 1939 by a Swiss chemist Paul Muller. It was toxic to wide range of insect pests ("broad spectrum") yet appeared to have low toxicity to mammals. It was persistent i.e. didn't break down rapidly in the environment, so that it didn't have to be reapplied often. DDT was so effective at killing pests and thus boosting crop yields and was so inexpensive to make that its use quickly spread over the globe.