In germinating castor seeds, the R.Q. is
or
A mixture containing equal quantity of germinating maize and groundnut seeds are taken. The RQ of this mixture would be

Options

A. Less than one
B. More than one
C. One
D. Zero

Answer

To solve the question regarding the respiratory quotient (R.Q.) of germinating castor seeds and a mixture of germinating maize and groundnut seeds, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Concept of R.Q.**:
- R.Q. (Respiratory Quotient) is defined as the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced to the volume of oxygen (O2) consumed during respiration.
- Formula: \( RQ = \frac{Volume \, of \, CO2 \, evolved}{Volume \, of \, O2 \, consumed} \)

2. **Determine the R.Q. for Different Substrates**:
- For carbohydrates, R.Q. = 1 (equal amounts of CO2 produced and O2 consumed).
- For proteins, R.Q. < 1 (more O2 consumed than CO2 produced, approximately 0.9).
- For fats, R.Q. < 1 (more O2 consumed than CO2 produced, approximately 0.7).
- For some organic acids, R.Q. > 1.

3. **Identify the Type of Seeds**:
- Castor seeds are oil-producing seeds, which means they primarily consist of fats.
- Therefore, the R.Q. for germinating castor seeds will be less than 1.

4. **Analyze the Mixture of Germinating Maize and Groundnut Seeds**:
- Maize primarily contains carbohydrates, which have an R.Q. of 1.
- Groundnut seeds also contain fats, which have an R.Q. of less than 1.
- Since the mixture contains equal quantities of both seeds, we need to consider the average R.Q. of the mixture.

5. **Calculate the R.Q. of the Mixture**:
- The R.Q. of the mixture will be influenced by the proportion of carbohydrates (from maize) and fats (from groundnut).
- Since maize has an R.Q. of 1 and groundnut has an R.Q. of less than 1, the overall R.Q. of the mixture will be between 0.7 and 1.

6. **Conclusion**:
- The R.Q. of the mixture of germinating maize and groundnut seeds will be approximately 1 but less than 1 due to the presence of fats from groundnut seeds.

### Final Answer:
- The R.Q. of germinating castor seeds is less than 1.
- The R.Q. of the mixture of germinating maize and groundnut seeds would also be less than 1.