Question

Given below are two statements:

Statement (I): Mosquito blight of tea is caused by Helopeltis antonii
Statement (II): Mosquito blight of tea is caused by Heliothis zea

In light of the above statements choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.

• A. Both statements I and statement II are correct
• B. Both statements I and statement II are incorrect
• C. Statement I is correct and statement II is incorrect
• D. Statement I is incorrect and statement II is correct

Hint:

Helopeltis damage causes characteristic "brown blight" symptoms on tea leaves, reducing both yield and quality.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Mosquito blight symptoms on tea (sunken lesions on shoots) match piercing-sucking feeding by Helopeltis antonii.
Step 2: Heliothis zea is a chewing caterpillar pest of maize/cotton, unrelated to tea.
Step 3: So Statement (I) is correct and Statement (II) is incorrect.
Step 4: The correct option is Statement I correct, Statement II incorrect.