Match Column I with Column II.
| Column I | Column II |
| A. Parthenocarpy | I. Inactive state |
| B. Polyembryony | II. Meiosis and syngamy are absent |
| C. Apomixis | III. Occurrence of more than one embryo |
| D. Dormancy | IV. Seedless fruit |
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A – IV; B – III; C – II; D – I
(A) Parthenocarpy — this matches (IV) Seedless fruit. In parthenocarpy the fruit forms without fertilisation. No ovule is fertilised, so no seed develops inside the fruit. Banana is the book’s example.
(B) Polyembryony — this matches (III) Occurrence of more than one embryo. In plants such as orange, some nucellar cells around the embryo sac also grow into embryos. So a single seed holds several embryos.
(C) Apomixis — this matches (II) Meiosis and syngamy are absent. Apomixis gives seeds without fertilisation. In some species the egg cell forms without reduction division (meiosis) and grows into an embryo without fusing with a male gamete (syngamy).
(D) Dormancy — this matches (I) Inactive state. A mature seed dries up and the metabolism of its embryo slows down. The embryo rests until moisture, oxygen and a suitable temperature are available for germination.
NCERT Extract:
Seed – “… The general metabolic activity of the embryo slows down. The embryo may enter a state of inactivity called dormancy, or if favourable conditions are available (adequate moisture, oxygen and suitable temperature), they germinate. … Although in most of the species, fruits are the results of fertilisation, there are a few species in which fruits develop without fertilisation. Such fruits are called parthenocarpic fruits. Banana is one such example. Parthenocarpy can be induced through the application of growth hormones and such fruits are seedless.”
Apomixis and Polyembryony – “Although seeds, in general are the products of fertilisation, a few flowering plants such as some species of Asteraceae and grasses, have evolved a special mechanism, to produce seeds without fertilisation, called apomixis. … There are several ways of development of apomictic seeds. In some species, the diploid egg cell is formed without reduction division and develops into the embryo without fertilisation. … Occurrence of more than one embryo in a seed is referred to as polyembryony.”