The type of pollination which brings genetically different types of pollen grains to the stigma is -
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Xenogamy
Option (1) Autogamy — Incorrect. In autogamy, pollen goes from the anther to the stigma of the same flower. The pollen and the egg come from one flower, so the pollen is genetically the same.
Option (2) Geitonogamy — Incorrect. In geitonogamy, pollen goes to another flower of the same plant. It needs a pollinating agent, like cross-pollination. But genetically it is like autogamy, because the pollen comes from the same plant.
Option (3) Xenogamy — Correct. “Xeno” means foreign. In xenogamy, pollen comes from a different plant, which has a different genetic make-up.
Option (4) Polygamy — Incorrect. Polygamy is not a type of pollination. In plants, the word describes a plant that bears both bisexual and unisexual flowers. NCERT names only three types of pollination: autogamy, geitonogamy and xenogamy.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 05-06-2023 (Slot 2).
NCERT Extract:
Pollination – …
