Question

How are rice and wheat pollinated? Why is normal pollination absent in the two despite the flowers being chasmogamous?

Answer 1

Rice and wheat are two major cereals being consumed by humans throughout the world. Uniformity of their quality and their high yield are very important. Cross-pollination can spoil the same. Their pollen grains are viable for only a few minutes. The period is sufficient for bud pollination to take place. Therefore despite being chasmogamous, rice and wheat are bud pollinated. The development/ mutation must have been picked up by our ancestors to ensure a good yield. Therefore, once a good high yielding variety has been raised by breeders, it can be maintained for a long time under field conditions. Changes as in rice and wheat have been selected by breeders in almost all crops. Potatoes are cultivated through tubers and not seeds. Sugarcane is grown through stem cuttings. Such developments are a legacy of our ancestors which must be further improved for the future generations.