Problems and solutions in medicinal plant production and taxonomy issues MCQs With Answer

Introduction

This blog offers M.Pharm students a focused question bank on problems and solutions in medicinal plant production and taxonomy issues, aligning with the Advanced Pharmacognosy I (MPG 102T) syllabus. The content highlights practical and theoretical challenges such as genetic variability, adulteration, taxonomic ambiguities, conservation threats, and propagation constraints, and presents established and emerging solutions like GACP, DNA barcoding, tissue culture and germplasm banking. Each MCQ is crafted to test applied understanding — from quality control and chemotaxonomy to sustainable harvesting and legal frameworks — preparing students for examinations and real-world pharmaceutical practice. Use these items for revision, self-assessment, and classroom discussion.

Q1. What is the most common cause of inconsistent therapeutic efficacy in batches of a medicinal plant drug?

• Inherent genetic variability among plant populations causing phytochemical differences
• Poor tablet compression during formulation
• Variations in solvent purity used in extraction
• Incorrect patient dosing schedules

Correct Answer: Inherent genetic variability among plant populations causing phytochemical differences

Q2. Which guideline specifically targets cultivation, harvesting and post-harvest handling of medicinal plants to improve quality?

• Good Distribution Practice (GDP)
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
• Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for medicinal plants
• ISO 9001 Quality Management

Correct Answer: Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for medicinal plants

Q3. Which taxonomic problem most frequently leads to misidentification and erroneous medicinal plant trade?

• Seasonal leaf drop
• Synonymy and misapplied names across floras and herbals
• Excessive pollen production
• Soil pH variation

Correct Answer: Synonymy and misapplied names across floras and herbals

Q4. Which molecular marker combination is widely recommended for DNA barcoding and reliable species-level identification in medicinal plants?

• 16S rRNA and COI
• rbcL and matK (supplemented by ITS for difficult groups)
• Microsatellites (SSR) only
• CpDNA only without nuclear markers

Correct Answer: rbcL and matK (supplemented by ITS for difficult groups)

Q5. Which analytical technique is most appropriate for routine phytochemical fingerprinting to detect adulteration and quality variation?

• Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) alone without documentation
• High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting
• Routine organoleptic testing only
• Biuret protein test

Correct Answer: High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting

Q6. What is an effective ex situ strategy to prevent genetic erosion of a valuable medicinal plant?

• Continuous wild collection without monitoring
• Establishment of germplasm banks and seed cryopreservation
• Replacing the species with a non-native alternative
• Fertilizer overuse to boost wild populations

Correct Answer: Establishment of germplasm banks and seed cryopreservation

Q7. Why can morphological identification of some medicinal plants be unreliable?

• Phenotypic plasticity caused by environmental factors alters diagnostic traits
• All plants have identical leaves
• Roots are always absent in medicinal samples
• Plants do not respond to herbarium preservation

Correct Answer: Phenotypic plasticity caused by environmental factors alters diagnostic traits

Q8. Which advantage of plant tissue culture is most relevant for improving medicinal plant production?

• Allows production of clonal, disease-free planting material with uniform phytochemistry
• Guarantees higher soil biodiversity in fields
• Removes the need for nutrient input in cultivation
• Eliminates any requirement for authentication

Correct Answer: Allows production of clonal, disease-free planting material with uniform phytochemistry

Q9. What is a frequent problem with seed-based propagation of many medicinal trees and shrubs?

• Excessive germination leading to oversupply
• Low seed viability and physiological dormancy that reduce establishment
• Seeds are always sterile
• Seeds contain no active compounds

Correct Answer: Low seed viability and physiological dormancy that reduce establishment

Q10. Which practice best promotes sustainable wild-harvesting of medicinal plants?

• Clear-cutting entire plant populations annually
• Unregulated commercial collection to meet market peaks
• Controlled harvest with quotas, seasonal restrictions and cultivation alternatives
• Export bans without local capacity building

Correct Answer: Controlled harvest with quotas, seasonal restrictions and cultivation alternatives

Q11. How does chemotaxonomy assist in resolving taxonomic ambiguities among closely related medicinal species?

• By measuring soil nutrients only
• By correlating consistent secondary metabolite profiles with taxonomic groups
• By replacing morphological characters with weather data
• By ignoring chemical differences and focusing on flower color

Correct Answer: By correlating consistent secondary metabolite profiles with taxonomic groups

Q12. Why is preparation and deposition of a voucher specimen essential in medicinal plant research?

• It acts as a permanent reference for species identity and allows re-examination
• It substitutes for all molecular data
• It is useful only for medicinal taste tests
• It ensures immediate patent protection

Correct Answer: It acts as a permanent reference for species identity and allows re-examination

Q13. Which factor combination most often explains intraspecific phytochemical variability in medicinal plants?

• Genotype × Environment interactions including genotype, soil, climate and harvest time
• Only lunar cycles
• Type of insect pollinator present
• Altitude alone without genetic influence

Correct Answer: Genotype × Environment interactions including genotype, soil, climate and harvest time

Q14. For long-term conservation of recalcitrant seeds and vegetative germplasm of medicinal plants, which technology is most suitable?

• Air-drying and ambient storage indefinitely
• Cryopreservation of seeds, embryos or shoot tips in liquid nitrogen
• Leaving material in situ without protection
• Immediate commercial sale of all material

Correct Answer: Cryopreservation of seeds, embryos or shoot tips in liquid nitrogen

Q15. Which integrated approach is most effective to manage pests and diseases in medicinal plant cultivation while reducing chemical residues?

• Continuous high-dose pesticide application
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combining cultural, biological and minimal chemical control
• Complete abandonment of cultivation
• Using antibiotics in irrigation water

Correct Answer: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combining cultural, biological and minimal chemical control

Q16. Which nomenclatural problem can create confusion when consulting different floras and monographs?

• Homonyms and synonyms where same name applies to different taxa or different names to same taxon
• Overuse of Latin without translation
• Excessive herbarium labeling
• Incorrect decimal point notation in herbarium accession numbers

Correct Answer: Homonyms and synonyms where same name applies to different taxa or different names to same taxon

Q17. For routine quality control of an herbal drug, which parameter is most practical and widely used?

• Quantitative estimation of characteristic marker compounds supported by chromatographic fingerprinting
• Only macroscopic aroma evaluation
• Counting stomata under a microscope exclusively
• Measuring leaf temperature in the field

Correct Answer: Quantitative estimation of characteristic marker compounds supported by chromatographic fingerprinting

Q18. What is the best strategy to resolve species misidentification in herbal raw material procurement?

• Accept supplier claims without verification
• Implement an integrated authentication strategy combining morphology, chemical fingerprints and DNA barcoding
• Ban all imports regardless of verification
• Use taste testing by non-experts

Correct Answer: Implement an integrated authentication strategy combining morphology, chemical fingerprints and DNA barcoding

Q19. How does climate change principally threaten medicinal plant quality and availability?

• By altering plant phenology and secondary metabolite profiles and shifting species distributions
• By increasing global lab accreditation
• By eliminating the need for conservation
• By improving uniformity of phytochemicals everywhere

Correct Answer: By altering plant phenology and secondary metabolite profiles and shifting species distributions

Q20. Which policy measure helps ensure sustainable use and fair benefit sharing of medicinal plant resources?

• Ignoring local communities during resource development
• Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) agreements, CITES listing where applicable and national conservation laws
• Unrestricted commercial bioprospecting
• Removing all legal protections to maximize short-term trade

Correct Answer: Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) agreements, CITES listing where applicable and national conservation laws

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