MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q49: The hybrid variety of mango developed from the cross of

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q49?

C. Correct — C, Ratna. Ratna is a hybrid mango bred by crossing Neelam (the booklet spells it 'Neelum') with Alphonso. It was developed at the Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurla (Maharashtra). Ratna is a regular (annual) bearer and is free from the internal 'spongy tissue' defect that troubles Alphonso, while keeping good eating quality — the very reason it was bred from this cross.

MPPSC 2020 Prelims Paper-I · Question 49 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

The hybrid variety of mango developed from the cross of Neelum and Alphonso is

(a)Amrapali
(b)Dasheri
(c)Ratna
(d)Badami

Answer

Why

Correct — C, Ratna. Ratna is a hybrid mango bred by crossing Neelam (the booklet spells it 'Neelum') with Alphonso. It was developed at the Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurla (Maharashtra). Ratna is a regular (annual) bearer and is free from the internal 'spongy tissue' defect that troubles Alphonso, while keeping good eating quality — the very reason it was bred from this cross.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Amrapali — Amrapali is a hybrid too, but of Dashehari x Neelum (a dwarf, regular bearer developed at IARI) — not Alphonso x Neelum.
(b)Dasheri — Dashehari is a traditional landrace variety of the Lucknow–Malihabad belt, not a hybrid of this cross.
(d)Badami — Badami is a local (Karnataka) name for Alphonso-type mango — a variety, not a hybrid of Neelum x Alphonso.

Concept

India's fruit research stations breed hybrid mangoes by crossing quality varieties (Alphonso, Dashehari, Neelam) to combine flavour with regular bearing and freedom from defects. Ratna = Neelam x Alphonso; Amrapali = Dashehari x Neelum; Mallika = Neelum x Dashehari.

Matching a hybrid to its parents is the trap. Both Ratna and Amrapali use Neelum as one parent, so they get confused. Fix the pairs: Ratna's other parent is Alphonso, while Amrapali's other parent is Dashehari.

Key facts

Ratna = Neelam x Alphonso; regular bearer, free from spongy tissue.
Amrapali = Dashehari x Neelum (dwarf, regular bearer; developed at IARI).
Mallika = Neelum x Dashehari — another popular Indian hybrid.
Alphonso ('Hapus') is the premium Konkan variety; Neelam is a south-Indian regular bearer.

Study next

Major mango varieties and GI tags (Alphonso/Hapus, Dashehari, Langra, Kesar)Hybrid mangoes: Ratna, Amrapali, Mallika, Arka ArunaHorticulture research institutes: IARI, Vengurla station, IIHR BengaluruFruit crops of India and leading producer states (UP, AP, Bihar)Plant breeding: hybridisation and regular vs alternate bearing

Common traps

Amrapali vs Ratna — both use Neelum; Amrapali's other parent is Dashehari, Ratna's is Alphonso
Treating Dashehari or Badami as hybrids — they are traditional/landrace varieties

MPPSC likes 'which hybrid comes from parents X x Y' or 'match variety -> type/origin'. Memorise the three crosses: Ratna, Amrapali, Mallika.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
The hybrid mango variety Amrapali is a cross between:
- (a)Dashehari x Neelum
- (b)Alphonso x Neelum
- (c)Langra x Kesar
- (d)Totapuri x Banganapalli
Answer(a) Dashehari x Neelum — a dwarf, regular-bearing IARI hybrid.
practice — not a real PYQ
Alphonso ('Hapus'), famous for GI-tagged premium mangoes, is chiefly grown in which region?
- (a)Konkan (Maharashtra)
- (b)Malihabad (Uttar Pradesh)
- (c)Malda (West Bengal)
- (d)Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu)
Answer(a) Konkan, Maharashtra — the home of Alphonso/Hapus.