• Tunica-Corpus Theory: Proposed by A. Schmidt (1924) to describe the structural organization of the shoot apical meristem (SAM) in angiosperms, recognizing two distinct tissue zones:
• Tunica: The outer peripheral mantle characterized predominantly by anticlinal cell divisions (perpendicular to surface), maintaining discrete sheet-like cell layers and facilitating surface growth.
• Corpus: The inner central core characterized by multidirectional divisions (anticlinal, periclinal, and oblique) giving rise to the central ground tissue and provascular strands.
• Layers of the Tunica (L1 and L2): In angiosperms, the tunica typically comprises two distinct layers: L1 and L2:
• L1 Layer: Outermost single layer; gives rise strictly to the epidermis of leaves, stems, and floral organs.
• L2 Layer: Subepidermal cell layer; divides anticlinally to contribute to the subepidermal mesophyll, outer cortex, and reproductive gametes (germ cells).
• L3 Layer: Belongs to the corpus proper, forming the vascular cylinder, pith, and deep internal tissues.
• nalysis: The tunica is strictly constituted by L1 and L2 only (Option 3).

Correct option: (3) L1 and L2 only

• Statement (I) is Correct: Simple fruits develop from a single flower possessing a single monocarpellary ovary or two or more united (syncarpous) carpels. Examples include berries (grape, tomato), drupes (mango, peach), and pomes (apple).
• Statement (II) is Correct: Aggregate fruits (etaerio) develop from a single flower possessing multiple free, distinct (apocarpous) carpels or pistils. Each carpel develops into a separate fruitlet, clustered together on a common receptacle (e.g., etaerio of drupelets in raspberry/blackberry, etaerio of achenes in strawberry, etaerio of berries in custard apple).
• Conclusion: Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are standard, correct botanical definitions.

• Nutrient Mobility in Phloem:
• Mobile Nutrients (N, P, K, Mg, Mn to a moderate extent): Can be readily remobilized and translocated from senescing older basal foliage to actively expanding young meristems and shoots. Consequently, deficiency symptoms appear first on older (lower) leaves.
• Immobile Nutrients (Ca, Fe, Cu, B, Zn): Bound tightly in structural cell wall polymers or chelates with negligible phloem mobility. Therefore, nascent apical growing tissues starve first, and deficiency symptoms appear first on young (upper/terminal) leaves.
• Statement Evaluation:
• Statement (I): "The deficiency of Mg and Mn deficiency first appeared on younger leaves while Cu and Fe on older leave." $\rightarrow$ False (inverts physiological reality).
• Statement (II): "The deficiency of Mg and Mn, first appeared on older leaves while Cu and Fe on younger leave." $\rightarrow$ True.
• Correct Option: Option 4 (Statement (I) is false but Statement (II) is true).

• Statement (I) is Correct: Pineapple (Ananas comosus, family Bromeliaceae) is an obligate Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) plant with exceptional water-use efficiency adapted to tropical dry seasons.
• Statement (II) is Correct: In the CAM pathway:
• At night, stomata open in cooler temperatures; atmospheric $\text{CO}_2$ is fixed by cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase into oxaloacetate, then reduced to malic acid (organic acid) and stored in large vacuoles, resulting in nocturnal leaf acidification.
• During the day, stomata remain tightly closed to prevent transpirational water loss; vacuolar malate is decarboxylated to release concentrated intracellular $\text{CO}_2$, which is fixed by Rubisco in the Calvin cycle into photosynthetic sugars.
• Conclusion: Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are scientifically correct.

• Standard Diagnostic Tissues for Plant Nutrient Analysis:
• Statement (I) is Correct: In grapevines (Vitis vinifera), the standardized diagnostic index tissue is the petiole collected opposite the bloom cluster at the flower bud differentiation/full bloom stage (typically 30–35 days after bud burst).
• Statement (II) is Correct: In mango (Mangifera indica), standard foliar diagnostic protocol prescribes collecting 4 to 7-month-old mature leaves along with petioles from the middle position of non-bearing vegetative terminal shoots from all four quadrants of the canopy.
• Conclusion: Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are standard, correct sampling protocols.