Tag: botany

Seeds having fleshy testa are the edible parts in pomegranate. In case of induced parthenocarpy, the seeds will not be produced thereby making fruit seedless. Therefore they become useless and lose their economic importance. 

The male cones are borne in a cluster on a branch of unlimited growth behind the apical bud, in the axil of a scale leaf. A cone consists of a central axis bearing 60- 135 microsporophylls in spiral manner. It is therefore, comparable female flower of angiosperm.

The formation of the plant from gametophytic cell without fertilization is called apogamy.

Seedless tomato fruit can be grown without fertilization if the plant growth hormone is sprayed on them. This will result in their parthenocarpy. This is the technique of induced parthenocarpy where the vegetables are sprayed with plant growth regulators. 

Bananas are seedless because they are all sterile. They are produced due to asexual reproduction. They reproduce from rhizome or bulb and not from seeds.

The formation of fruits without fertilization is called parthenocarpy. Such fruits are either seedless or non-viable seeds. Parthenocarpy is of two types- 

Parthenocarpy  is the natural or artificially induced production of fruit without fertilization of ovules, which makes the fruit seedless. Stenospermocarpy may also produce apparently seedless fruit, but the seeds are actually aborted while they are still small. Parthenocarpy (or stenospermocarpy) occasionally occurs as a mutation in nature; if it affects every flower the plant can no longer sexually reproduce but might be able to propagate by apomixis or by vegetative means. In some plants, pollination or another stimulation is required for parthenocarpy, termed stimulative parthenocarpy. Plants that do not require pollination or other stimulation to produce parthenocarpic fruit have vegetative parthenocarpy. Seedless cucumbers are an example of vegetative parthenocarpy, seedless watermelon is an example of stenospermocarpy.

Mutualism or symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship between individuals of two different species. None of the two is capable of living separately. Mutualism and symbiosis are synonyms though symbiosis was formerly considered to be any interaction between two different organisms. Some workers also consider symbiosis to be mutualism, which involves close physical contact. Mutualism or symbiosis is generally considered to be obligatory e.g., nitrogen fixing Rhizobium bacteria living in root nodules of leguminous plants and mycorrhizae (fungus living in association with roots of higher plants like Gymnosperms).

Orobanche plant has no chlorophyll and is parasitic herbaceous plant. It is total root parasite.