Assertion: Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a prevalent choice in genetic engineering due to its ubiquitous association with the roots of all cereal and pulse crops.
Reason: The integration of a gene into the bacterial chromosomal genome facilitates the automatic transfer of the gene to the specific crop species in which the bacterium resides.
Both the assertion and reason are true, and the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion.
Both the assertion and reason are true, but the reason is not a correct explanation of the assertion.
The assertion is true, but the reason is false.
Both the assertion and reason are false.
The assertion states that Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a prevalent choice in genetic engineering because it is commonly associated with the roots of cereal and pulse crops. This assertion is true as Agrobacterium tumefaciens is known to naturally infect and form a symbiotic relationship with many plant species, including cereal and pulse crops.
The reason provided is that the integration of a gene into the bacterial chromosomal genome enables the automatic transfer of the gene to the specific crop species in which the bacterium resides. This reason is a correct explanation of the assertion. Agrobacterium tumefaciens has a natural ability to transfer a segment of its DNA, known as the T-DNA, into the plant's genome, resulting in the expression of transferred genes in the plant cells. This genetic transfer process is widely used in genetic engineering to introduce desired traits into crop plants.
Therefore, both the assertion and reason are true, and the reason accurately explains why Agrobacterium tumefaciens is commonly utilized in genetic engineering.Hence, the correct answer is option 1.