Question

application of polyploidy in plants?

Answer 1

Dear student,
Application of polyploidy is seen in case of speciation of angiosperms when it comes to plant breeding. In general cases hybrid plant species are sterile because of not having the required homologous pairs of chromosomes for successful gamete formation during meiosis. However, through polyploidy the plant duplicates the chromosome set inherited from each parent, meiosis can occur, because each chromosome will have a homologue derived from its duplicate set. Thus, polyploidy confers fertility on the formerly sterile hybrid, which thereby attains the status of a full species distinct from either of its parents.

Regards.