Pollen-Pistil Interaction & Double Fertilisation — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptPollen-pistil interaction involves all events from the landing of pollen grains on the stigma until the pollen tube enters the embryo sac (when the pollen is compatible) or pollen inhibition (when the pollen is incompatible). Following compatible pollination, pollen grain germinates on the stigma and the resulting pollen tube grow through the style, enter the ovules and finally discharges two male gametes in one of the synergids. Angiosperms exhibit double fertilisation because two fusion events occur in each embryo sac, namely syngamy and triple fusion. The products of these fusions are the diploid zygote and the triploid primary endosperm nucleus (in the primary endosperm cell). Zygote develops into the embryo and the primary endosperm cell forms the endosperm tissue. Formation of endosperm always precedes development of the embryo.
Which of the following statements are NOT correct? S1: Double fertilisation, a unique characteristic of angiosperms, involves two distinct fusion events leading to the formation of the embryo and nutritive endosperm. S2: Syngamy results in a triploid Primary Endosperm Nucleus, while triple fusion forms a diploid zygote. S3: The central cell, after triple fusion, contains a triploid Primary Endosperm Nucleus and becomes the Primary Endosperm Cell (PEC), which typically undergoes free-nuclear divisions to form endosperm. S4: In all flowering plants, the pollen tube exclusively enters the ovule through the micropylar end, guided by the filiform apparatus of the egg cell. S5: The nutritive endosperm tissue, which is always completely consumed during embryo development in both albuminous and non-albuminous seeds, precedes embryo development.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: A — S2, S4 and S5 only
Let's evaluate each statement: S1: Double fertilisation is indeed a unique feature of angiosperms and involves two fusion events (syngamy and triple fusion) which lead to the formation of the diploid zygote (developing into embryo) and triploid Primary Endosperm Nucleus (developing into nutritive endosperm). This statement is correct. S2: Syngamy results in a diploid zygote, and triple fusion forms a triploid Primary Endosperm Nucleus. The statement reverses these products and misstates their ploidy. Thus, S2 is incorrect. S3: The central cell, after triple fusion, becomes the Primary Endosperm Cell (PEC) and contains a triploid Primary Endosperm Nucleus (PEN). Endosperm development often involves free-nuclear divisions followed by cellularisation. This statement is correct. S4: While the pollen tube often enters the ovule through the micropylar end guided by the filiform apparatus of the synergids (not the egg cell), it is not *exclusively* through the micropylar end; chalazal or integumentary entry can also occur (though less common and not explicitly detailed in NCERT for angiosperms, the word 'exclusively' makes it incorrect in a broader sense, and 'egg cell' is definitively wrong). The filiform apparatus is present at the micropylar tip of the synergids, not the egg cell. Thus, S4 is incorrect. S5: Endosperm development precedes embryo development. However, the endosperm is not *always* completely consumed during embryo development in *all* angiosperm seeds; it persists in albuminous seeds (e.g., castor, coconut) but is completely consumed in non-albuminous seeds (e.g., pea, groundnut). The statement's use of 'always' and 'both albuminous and non-albuminous seeds' makes it incorrect. Thus, S5 is incorrect. Therefore, S2, S4, and S5 are the statements that are NOT correct.
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