Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): The nematode Meloidogyne incognita utilizes the process of RNA interference (RNAi) to infect the roots of tobacco plants and reduce their yield. Reason (R): In pest-resistant transgenic plants, nematode-specific genes are introduced to produce complementary dsRNA that binds to and silences specific

Step-by-step solution

Assertion is incorrect because the nematode Meloidogyne incognita does not utilize RNA interference to infect the plant. Instead, RNA interference is a novel cellular defense strategy adopted by biotechnologists to engineer the host plant to defend itself against the nematode. Reason is correct because the strategy involves introducing nematode-specific genes into the host plant. These genes produce both sense and antisense RNA, forming a complementary dsRNA that initiates RNAi and silences the specific mRNA of the