Practicing Success
Apomictic embryos in Citrus are derived from: |
Haploid egg. Antipodal cells. nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac Synergids. |
nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac |
The correct answer is Option (3) - nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac 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. 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. More often, as in many Citrus and Mango varieties some of the nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac start dividing, protrude into the embryo sac and develop into the embryos. In such species each ovule contains many embryos. Occurrence of more than one embryo in a seed is referred to as polyembryony. |