Given below are two statements: Statement (I): Phytoplasmas are... | Agrigyan

Statement (I) is correct: Pathological wilt (caused by vascular pathogens like Fusarium oxysporum, Verticillium dahliae, or Ralstonia solanacearum) involves physical vascular vessel plugging by mycelium, bacterial slime, tyloses, gels, and toxins that structurally destroy the xylem. Even if water is supplied to the soil, the plant cannot transport it, making the wilting permanent and irreversible, leading to death.
Statement (II) is correct: Physiological (temporary) wilt occurs when transpiration rate temporarily exceeds water absorption during hot sunny midday hours. As long as soil moisture has not dropped below the Permanent Wilting Point (PWP), the plant recovers turgidity when transpiration slows down in the evening or when irrigation is applied.

Statement (I) is incorrect: While the vast majority (~75-80%) of plant viruses possess RNA genomes (ssRNA or dsRNA), RNA is NOT the only genetic material. Important plant viruses have DNA genomes: for example, Caulimoviruses have double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), while Geminiviruses (e.g., Tomato yellow leaf curl virus) and Nanoviruses (e.g., Banana bunchy top virus) have single-stranded circular DNA (ssDNA).
Statement (II) is correct: RNA plant viruses are among the most destructive plant pathogens globally, causing enormous crop yield losses in staples and vegetables (e.g., Tobacco mosaic virus, Potato virus Y, Cucumber mosaic virus, Rice tungro virus).

Statement (I) is correct: The Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 was triggered by the introduction of the transboundary oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans (late blight of potato) into Europe from the Americas, leading to widespread crop failure, mass starvation, and emigration.
Statement (II) is correct: Invasive alien pathogens introduced into naive ecosystems are exceptionally aggressive because the local host plant populations lack co-evolved evolutionary resistance genes and natural antagonistic biological control agents.