How can the characteristics of a hybrid plant be preserved in future generations?
How can the characteristics of a hybrid plant be preserved in future generations?
The correct option is B By employing the mechanism of apomixis
The cultivation of hybrids has increased the productivity of various food crops.
But the problem is hybrid seeds have to be produced every year as plants produced from the seeds of the hybrid plants often do not show the desired traits in successive generations.
The reason for this being sexual reproduction. The traits are not preserved in the seeds of the hybrid as they are produced by sexual reproduction which involves meiosis and fertilisation. This leads to the segregation of characters in the resulting progeny and subsequent loss of characters.
This problem can be solved by producing hybrid seeds every year, but it is quite expensive.
However if the hybrids are made into apomicts, (apomicts are plants in which the seeds are produced without fertilisation) the resulting apomictic seeds would produce plants that are identical clones of the hybrid parent. This will allow the characteristics of hybrid plants to be preserved in future generations.
By inducing parthenocarpy in the hybrid plant, fruits are produced without seeds. As most of the food crops propagate through seeds, inducing parthenocarpy will not be of use.
Hence the mechanism of apomixis that produces seeds without fertilisation helps to preserve the characteristics of the hybrid plant for future generations.
The cultivation of hybrids has increased the productivity of various food crops.
But the problem is hybrid seeds have to be produced every year as plants produced from the seeds of the hybrid plants often do not show the desired traits in successive generations.
The reason for this being sexual reproduction. The traits are not preserved in the seeds of the hybrid as they are produced by sexual reproduction which involves meiosis and fertilisation. This leads to the segregation of characters in the resulting progeny and subsequent loss of characters.
This problem can be solved by producing hybrid seeds every year, but it is quite expensive.
However if the hybrids are made into apomicts, (apomicts are plants in which the seeds are produced without fertilisation) the resulting apomictic seeds would produce plants that are identical clones of the hybrid parent. This will allow the characteristics of hybrid plants to be preserved in future generations.
By inducing parthenocarpy in the hybrid plant, fruits are produced without seeds. As most of the food crops propagate through seeds, inducing parthenocarpy will not be of use.
Hence the mechanism of apomixis that produces seeds without fertilisation helps to preserve the characteristics of the hybrid plant for future generations.
