Some names appear twice in this chapter…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Some names appear twice in this chapter. Explain the difference in each case.
- Trichoderma, as a biocontrol agent, and Trichoderma polysporum, as the source of a drug.
- Bacillus thuringiensis sprayed on a field, and Bt cotton.
- Lactobacillus in curd, and Lactobacillus as the producer of an acid in industry.
- The microbes of the aeration tank of a sewage plant, and the microbes of a biogas plant.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Match each job to its microbe, and keep the group in mind: bacteria, fungi, a virus or cyanobacteria. An integrated pest management programme counts the pests, and acts if the average is above the level that the crop can bear. After days of spraying, a number falls to when a share of the larvae die each day.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) The fungus Trichoderma protects plants by attacking plant pathogens. Trichoderma polysporum is the NCERT source of cyclosporin A, an immunosuppressant that is given after an organ transplant.
Step 2. (b) The spray is the bacterium with its spores, and the larva must eat them. Bt cotton is a plant that has the gene for the toxin.
Step 3. (c) The same bacterium ferments lactose to lactic acid. In the home, the acid sets milk as curd. In industry, the acid is collected as a chemical.
Step 4. (d) The microbes of the aeration tank are aerobic and form flocs. The microbes of the biogas plant, the methanogens, are anaerobic.
Answer: (a) biocontrol against a drug; (b) a spray against a plant with a gene; (c) the same acid in the home and in industry; (d) aerobic against anaerobic.
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