Question

Double fertilisation is the fusion of

• A. two eggs
• B. two eggs and polar nuclei
• C. one male gamete with egg and other with synergid
• D. one male gamete with egg and other with secondary nucleus

Answer 1

The correct option is D one male gamete with egg and other with secondary nucleus

Double fertilisation is a process mostly restricted only to angiosperms. When a pollen tube enters the ovule, it strikes one of the synergids and bursts open to release the two male gametes, which fuse with two different structures in the same female gametophyte. Thus, double fertilisation can be summed up as:
1. Generative fertilisation: Fusion of one male gamete with the egg producing diploid zygote.
2. Vegetative fertilisation: Fusion of nucleus of second male gamete with the diploid secondary (fused) nucleus. This is also known as triple fusion which leads to the formation of endosperm (3n).