Production of seeds without fertilization is known as:

The correct answer is Option (2) → Apomixis

Option (1) Parthenogenesis — Incorrect. Parthenogenesis is the development of an unfertilised egg into a new individual, as in the drones of honeybees. It gives an organism, not a seed, and the term is used mostly for animals.

Option (2) Apomixis — Correct. In apomixis the plant forms a seed, but no male gamete fuses with the egg. The seed is formed without fertilisation, as the question describes, so it is an asexual way of making seeds.

Option (3) Polyembryony — Incorrect. Polyembryony is the occurrence of more than one embryo in a seed, as in many Citrus and mango varieties. It tells how many embryos a seed has, not how the seed was formed.

Option (4) Syngamy — Incorrect. Syngamy is the fusion of a male gamete with the egg. It is fertilisation itself, the very event that apomixis leaves out.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 12-06-2023 (Slot 2).

NCERT Extract:
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. … Thus, apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction.”