Question

Which is an example of cytoplasmic inheritance?

• A. Eye colour in Drosophila
• B. Flower colour in Pea
• C. Height in Pea
• D. Sterile pollen

Answer 1

The correct option is D Sterile pollen

Male sterility in plants is characterized by nonfunctional pollen grains. It may be (i) genetic, (ii) cytoplasmic or (iii) cytoplasmic-genetic in determination. The genetic male sterility is generally governed by a single recessive nuclear gene. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), on the other hand, is determined by the cytoplasm. Since, the cytoplasm of a zygote comes mainly from the egg, the progeny of a cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) plant is always male sterile. Cytoplasmic-genetic male sterility is governed by both the cytoplasmic and nuclear genes. In such case, usually a single dominant nuclear gene restores male fertility of the cytoplasmic male sterile line; therefore, the gene is called restorer gene.

So, the correct answer is 'Sterile pollen'.