Question

Suppose in a flower of mustard, each microsporangium possess $20$ pollen mother cells then, the total number of male gametes formed by this flower will be?

• A. $3840$
• B. $480$
• C. $240$
• D. $120$

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

$3840$

One pollen mother cell produces 4 haploid pollens. Hence, 20 pollen mother cells will produce 4 X 20 pollen grains that are equal to 80 pollen grains. Each pollen grain produces 2 male gametes. 80 X 2 = 160 male gametes. Now, mustard is Dithecous, hence each stamen has 4 microsporangia. Therefore 160 x 4 = 640 male gametes per stamen. In a mustard flower, there are 6 stamens which means, 640 x 6 = 3840 male gametes in total.

So, the correct option is '3840'