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Q.133 Botany ⭐ 360° Option Elimination Active
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NEET 2021 Botany Question 133 Solution

Topic: Plant Growth and Development · Official NTA Booklet Code M1
NEET 2021 Botany Question 133: Selective Dicotyledonous Weedicide Action of 2, 4-D

Question

The plant hormone used to destroy weeds in a field is:

  1. (1)IAA
  2. (2)NAA
  3. (3)2, 4-D
  4. (4)IBA
✓
Verified Against NTA Final Answer Key
Option (3) : 2, 4-D
📚 Plant Growth and Development Easy
📋 Given Parameters & Problem Setup
Agronomic Objective Eradicate weeds in agricultural fields / lawns
Chemical Class Synthetic auxin weedicide
⚡

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ 2, 4-D = Dicot Weedicide in Monocot Lawns!

⏱️ Save ~15 seconds

The synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) is widely used to kill broad-leaved dicotyledonous weeds while having zero detrimental effect on mature monocotyledonous plants (cereal crops and lawns)! Match Option (3)!

1 IAA and IBA are natural auxins promoting apical dominance and root initiation.
2 NAA is a synthetic auxin used for rooting and preventing premature fruit drop.
3 2, 4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is a synthetic auxin specifically formulated as a selective weedicide.
4 Match Option (3).
🛡️
Why You Can 100% Trust This Shortcut: Canonical NCERT Plant Growth and Development on Auxin Applications.
📐

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Step 1

Auxin Classification and Agricultural Roles

Auxins include both naturally occurring phytohormones and synthetic chemical analogues:

Natural Auxins:Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)Synthetic Auxins:Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D)\begin{aligned} \text{\textbf{Natural Auxins:}} & \quad \text{Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)} \\[4pt] \text{\textbf{Synthetic Auxins:}} & \quad \text{Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D)} \end{aligned}
Step 2

Selective Herbicide Mechanism of 2, 4-D

At elevated concentrations, 2, 4-D acts as a systemic hormonal herbicide. It induces uncontrolled, aberrant cell division and vascular crushing in broad-leaved (dicotyledonous) weeds, leading to their rapid death. Monocotyledonous plants (such as wheat, rice, corn, and turf grasses) rapidly metabolize and conjugate 2, 4-D, remaining unharmed. Hence, it is universally applied to maintain weed-free lawns and cereal fields.

⭐

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.

4-Option Deep Scan
1 1
✗ Incorrect
Verdict & Scientific Reason:

IAA (Indole-3-acetic acid) is an endogenous plant growth promoter that induces cell elongation, apical dominance, and rooting, not a commercial weedicide.

⚠️
Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Confusing natural auxin physiological functions with synthetic weedicide applications.
2 2
✗ Incorrect
Verdict & Scientific Reason:

NAA (Naphthalene acetic acid) is used to induce rooting in stem cuttings and prevent pre-harvest fruit drop in apples, not as a weedicide.

⚠️
Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Conflating synthetic auxin roles.
3 3
✓ 100% Correct
Verdict & Scientific Reason:

2, 4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is the canonical synthetic auxin employed globally to destroy dicot weeds in agricultural fields.

💡
Why this is airtight: None. Textbook application fact.
4 4
✗ Incorrect
Verdict & Scientific Reason:

IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid) is primarily utilized as a root-inducing hormone in vegetative propagation cuttings.

⚠️
Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Confusing root-promoting hormone with weedicide.
⚠️

NTA Trap Alert: All Four Choices are Auxins: Need Exact Specific Function

IAA, NAA, 2, 4-D, and IBA are all auxins! Students must remember the exact agricultural application assigned to each in NCERT.

🛡️ How to avoid the -1 mark: Anchor: 2, 4-D = "Destroy" Dicot weeds (D for Dicot & Destroy).
📖

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

NEET / NCERT Biology · Plant Growth and Development Standard Benchmark
Core Scientific Principle Tested:

"2, 4-D, widely used to kill dicotyledonous weeds, does not affect mature monocotyledonous plants. It is used to prepare weed-free lawns by gardeners."

Syllabus Focus: Plant Growth Regulators: Auxins
✓ Core NEET UG Syllabus Anchor Syllabus & Academic Standards ↗

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