Sexual Reproduction In Flowering Plants
In certain Citrus and mango varieties, seeds are observed to give rise to several seedlings that are genetically identical to the mother plant.
Select the correct option:
Solution
Polyembryony through apomixis
Special variations on the normal seed-forming process occur in some angiosperms, a point discussed in NCERT Class 12, Chapter 2 (Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants). In several Citrus and mango varieties, nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac divide and protrude into it, each developing into an embryo. This results in the presence of more than one embryo in a seed, a condition called polyembryony, and because the additional embryos arise from maternal diploid tissue without meiosis or fertilization, they are clones of the mother plant, a form of apomixis. Parthenocarpy is incorrect because it produces fruits without seeds, the opposite of forming many embryos in a seed. Cross-pollination by insects describes a pollination mode and does not explain multiple identical seedlings. Vivipary in mangroves refers to seeds germinating while still on the parent plant, an unrelated phenomenon. A consistency check fits: identical seedlings from one seed require asexual embryo formation, which apomictic polyembryony provides.
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About This Question
- Subject
- biology
- Chapter
- reproduction
- Topic
- sexual reproduction in flowering plants
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Polyembryony through apomixis
Special variations on the normal seed-forming process occur in some angiosperms, a point discussed in NCERT Class 12, Chapter 2 (Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants). In several Citrus and mango varieties, nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac divide and protrude into it, each developing into an embryo. This results in the presence of more than one embryo in a seed, a condition called polyembryony, and because the additional embryos arise from maternal diploid tissue without meiosis or fertilization, they are clones of the mother plant, a form of apomixis. Parthenocarpy is incorrect because it produces fruits without seeds, the opposite of forming many embryos in a seed. Cross-pollination by insects describes a pollination mode and does not explain multiple identical seedlings. Vivipary in mangroves refers to seeds germinating while still on the parent plant, an unrelated phenomenon. A consistency check fits: identical seedlings from one seed require asexual embryo formation, which apomictic polyembryony provides.
This hard difficulty biology question is from the chapter reproduction, covering the topic of sexual reproduction in flowering plants. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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