Which of the following statements is / are correct regarding vegetative propagation of plants? (1). Vegetative propagation produces clonal population. (2). Vegetative propagation helps in eliminating the virus. (3). Vegetative propagation can be practiced most of the year. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct, so the answer is C. Vegetative propagation through cuttings, layering, grafting, budding, runners, tubers, bulbs and rhizomes produces offspring genetically identical to the parent, which is a clonal population. Since it does not depend on seed set or a flowering season, it can be carried out through most of the year, provided suitable plant material and moisture are available.

Statement 2 is wrong. Vegetative propagation does not eliminate viruses; it passes them on. If the mother plant is infected, every clone inherits the infection. Virus-free plants are obtained by meristem culture, often combined with thermotherapy or chemotherapy, which is a tissue culture technique and not ordinary vegetative propagation.

• Statement 1: correct, a clonal population is the defining feature.
• Statement 2: incorrect, viruses are transmitted through vegetative material.
• Statement 3: correct, it is not tied to a seasonal flowering or seed-setting cycle.

Connection: this underlies horticulture, the seed-versus-clone trade-off in plant breeding, and biotechnology-based disease management, all useful for Mains GS-III on agriculture and biotechnology.

Trap: aspirants accept statement 2 because tissue culture is often mentioned alongside vegetative propagation. Virus elimination is a separate tissue culture step, not the propagation itself.