PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR

SESSION : 2021-2022
CLASS : IX
SUBJECT : BIOLOGY

POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION

For initiating the process of fruit and seed formation, the pollen grains must reach the stigma.
The process of transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma is called pollination. It
may occur in the following three ways:

• Autogamy: The pollen of the same flower falls on its stigma itself.
• Geitonogamy: The pollen of another flower of the same plant fall in the stigma.
• Allogamy: The pollen of a flower of another plant of the same species fall on the
stigma. This type of transfer require agents like wind, insects, water, etc.
Types of pollination:

Self pollination: It is the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of the same flower
(autogamy) or to the stigma of another flower (geitonogamy). This type of pollination occurs
on account of common genetic characters among the flowers growing in the same plant.

In some rare cases, as in pansy, some flowers growing close to the ground level do not open
at all. The anthers and stigma lie close to each other which mature at the same time and self
pollination is assured. This is called cleistogamy.

Conditions for self pollination:

• Bisexuality: Self pollination can occur in bisexual flowers or it can also occur in
unisexual flowers where male and female flowers are borne on the same plant.
• Homogamy: To ensure self pollination, it is necessary that the anthers and stigma of
a flower must mature at the same time.
Advantages of self pollination:
➢ It is much surer in such bisexual flowers where stamens and carpels
mature at the same time.
➢ Parental characters are preserved indefinitely.
➢ There is no wastage of pollen grains.
➢ The flowers need not be large and showy.
➢
Scent and nectar need not be produced by flowers.
 Disadvantages of self pollination:
➢
Continued self pollination may lead to weakening of variety or the species.
The seeds produced are poor in quality and give rise to less vigorous
offspring.
➢
The weaker or defective characters of the variety or breed cannot be
eliminated.
➢
It does not yield new varieties. The genetic traits of the same plant with no
change and without any intermixing are passed on to the next generation.
Cross pollination:

Cross pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers of one plant to the stigma of a
flower of another plant of the same species.
Advantages of cross pollination:
➢
The offsprings are healthier.
➢
The seeds produced are abundant and viable.
➢
New varieties may be produced by cross pollinating two different varieties of the
same species or even two species.
Disadvantages of cross pollination:

➢
The pollination is not always certain because some pollinating agent is always needed
which may or may not be available at the proper time.
➢
The pollen has to be produced in large quantity to ensure chances of pollination which
means a lot of wastage of pollen.
➢
The process is uneconomical for the plant because the flowers have to be large,
coloured, scented and have to produce nectar for attracting pollinating agents.
Table: Differences between self pollination and cross pollination

Fig: Diagrammatic representation of self and cross pollination

Conditions favouring cross pollination:

• Unisexuality: The flowers may be either male or female and they may be borne on
separate plants. In this way cross pollination is the only possibility. e.g. palms and
papaya.
• Dichogamy: In many bisexual flowers, the anthers and stigma of the same flower
mature at different times.
In some plants, the anthers mature earlier than stigma. This is called protandry.
e.g. sweet pea, salvia, sunflower, etc.
In some plants, the stigma matures earlier than the anthers. This is called protogyny.
e.g. custard apple, peepal.
In either cases, cross pollination is the only possibility.
• Self sterility: This is a condition in which even if the stigma receives pollen from the
anthers of the same flower, the pollen fails to undergo further growth. In such cases,
only the pollen from another plant of the same species, can effectively complete the
process of setting of the seeds. e.g. ray florets of sunflower, orchids, etc.
• Herkogamy: In some flowers, the pollen of the flower cannot reach the stigma of
the same flower due to some mechanical barrier. e.g. a hood covering the stigma in
Pansy flowers, Iris, etc.
• Heterostyly: In such flowers the stigma and anthers grow at different heights which
does not favour self pollination. e.g. prim rose, oxalis.

Fig: Heterostyly : A- long styled flower B- short styled flower

Agents of cross pollination:
The common agents of cross pollination are insects, wind, water, birds and animals.
Features of insect pollinated (entomophilous) flowers:
➢
The flowers are large and brightly coloured to attract insects.
➢
They emit scent and produce nectar for the insects.
➢
The pollen grains are sticky or spiny to enable them to be carried by the insects
easily.
➢
The stigma is sticky and does not generally hang out of the flowers.
➢
The flowers tend to be in clusters to make them conspicuous, especially in cases
where individual flowers are small, e.g. Dahlia.
Features of wind pollinated (anemophilous) flowers:
➢
The flowers are small and are usually not brightly coloured.
➢
They do not produce scent or nectar.
➢
The stamens are long and hang out of the flower to be exposed to wind.
➢
The anthers are large and loosely attached to the filaments so that the slightest wind
may move them.
➢
Pollen is produced in very large quantities.
➢
Pollen grains are light, dry and smooth so that they can easily be carried away by
wind.
➢
The stigmas are feathery and hang out of the flower to trap the pollen grains.

Table: Differences between wind pollinated and insect pollinated flowers

Features of water pollinated (hydrophilous) flowers:

➢
Pollen grains are produced in large numbers.
➢
In some plants the pollen grains have a specific gravity almost equal to that of water so
that they remain floating below the surface of water.
➢
In some special cases male flowers are such that they float on the surface of water till
they meet female flowers. e.g. Vallisneria.
 Fig: Vallisneria showing male and female plants

Some flowers are pollinated by birds (ornithophily). e.g. Bignonia, canna.

Elephophily is the pollination affected by elephants. It is found in Rafflesia whose flowers

are very large and are found at ground level. The pollen grains get attached to the feet of
elephants and may be carried to the stigma of another flower when trampled by their feet.

Artificial pollination:
When man himself transfers pollen to the stigma, it is called artificial pollination.

In modern times, artificial pollination is a standard practice adopted by plant breeders and
scientists in their efforts to evolve new varieties. They remove the anthers in young flowers
(emasculation) and cover these flowers with plastic bags. Later, they pollinate such flowers
with the pollen from the plants of the desired variety.

Fertilization:
Fertilization is the fusion of the nuclei of male and female gametes.

In flowering plants, the pollen grains are the male gamete and the ovule inside the ovary is
the female gamete.
The Pollen Grain:

The mature pollen grain is a cell with a double wall- the outer exine and the inner intine. Its
nucleus has already divided into a tube nucleus and a generative nucleus. At this stage, the
pollen is transferred to stigma (pollination). Further changes in pollen grain occur only if it
has fallen on the stigma of a plant of the same species.

The Ovule:

Ovule is the inner part of ovary. Ovule is destined to become the seed and the ovary to
become the fruit containing the seed inside. There may be a single ovule producing
single seeded fruit or many ovules producing a many seeded fruit.

Each ovule has one or two protective coverings, the integuments.

The integument leave a small opening the micropyle at one end for the entry of pollen tube.

Enclosed by the integument is the nucellus and further inside the nucellus is the embryo
sac.
The embryo sac contains seven (3+3+1) cells:

• 3 cells at micropylar end- one egg cell and two synergids.

• 3 cells at opposite end, called antipodal cells.
• 1 large central cell. The central cell is different containing two nuclei called polar
nuclei.
Germination of pollen grain:

Pollen grain germinate only if it falls on the stigma of the same plant species, otherwise, it
disintegrates.

The stigma secretes sugar which stimulates the pollen grain to germinate. Through a point
in the exine a pollen tube grows out of the pollen grain, carrying at its tip the generative
nucleus and the tube nucleus. The generative nucleus divides into two male gamete
nuclei called the sperm nuclei. These nuclei are not separated by cell walls and share a
common cytoplasm.

The pollen tube grows through stigma by dissolving the tissues with the help of enzymes
and reaches the ovary. It pushes through the micropyle and reaches the embryo sac. The
tube nucleus which has directed the growth of pollen tube all the way down, now
disintegrates.

Now, the pollen tube enters one of the synergids and releases its two sperm nuclei. Of
these, one sperm nucleus fuses with the egg cell nucleus to form the zygote while the other
sperm nucleus fuses with the two polar nuclei in the central cell (triple fusion) to form the
endosperm. All together two fertilizations have occurred and hence termed double
fertilization.
Fate of floral parts after fertilization:

• The petals, style and stigma wither and generally fall off.
• The calyx may either fall or may remain intact in a dried and shrivelled form.
• The ovary forms the fruit and the ovarian wall forms the fruit wall.
• Ovules become the seeds.

Fig: Fate of various parts of ovary after fertilization

Follow the links given below:-

CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE
 PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR
SESSION: 2021-2022
CLASS: IX
SUBJECT: BIOLOGY
WORKSHEET-5

Question 1. Name the following:

i. The process by which the pollen of another flower of the same

plant fall in the stigma.
ii. The condition when the anthers of the flower mature earlier than
stigma.
iii. The pollination brought about by the elephant.
iv. The condition when the pollen of a flower cannot reach the stigma
of the same flower due to some mechanical barrier.
v. The small opening of the integument for the entry of pollen tube.
Question 2. Fill in the blanks:
i. ______________flowers are brightly coloured and produce nectar.
ii. The _____________ cell contains two nuclei called the polar nuclei.
iii. The _______________turns into fruit after fertilization.
iv. ______________ pollination can occur in a unisexual flower.
v. Each ovule has one or two protective coverings called the
______________.

Question 3. Define the following:

i. Artificial pollination
ii. Fertilisation
iii. Ornithophily
iv. Homogamy
v. Geitonogamy

Question 4. Answer the following questions:

i. State two disadvantages of cross pollination.

ii. Give two differences between wind pollinated and insect pollinated flowers.
iii. Why is self pollination great economical for the plant?
iv. Describe two conditions favouring self pollination.
v. Draw a neat labelled diagram of the structure of ovule.