With reference to agriculture in India, how can the technique of ‘genome sequencing', often seen in the news, be used in the immediate future? 1. Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants. 2. This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants. 3. It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct answer is D, since all three statements are valid.

Genome sequencing reads the complete DNA of an organism. For crops, this gives breeders a gene-level map, and that map is what makes marker-assisted selection possible.

• Statement 1 is correct. Sequencing identifies markers linked to disease resistance and drought tolerance, so breeders can screen seedlings without waiting for full field trials.
• Statement 2 is correct. Marker-assisted and genomic selection shorten the breeding cycle, which in conventional breeding often runs several years.
• Statement 3 is correct. Sequencing both host and pathogen shows which pathogen effector genes interact with which host resistance genes, which is how resistance breakdown is studied.

Core concept: genomics-assisted breeding, which links to the National Food Security Mission and to Mains questions on biotechnology and food security. Note that direct trait modification now relies on genome editing tools such as CRISPR, not sequencing alone, and examiners often test this distinction.

Trap: the phrase about the immediate future makes many candidates reject statement 2 as a long-term promise. Sequencing already cuts breeding time in practice, so all three statements apply.