Question

Geitonogamous flowering plants are genetically autogamous but functionally cross-pollinated. Justify.

Answer 1

Hint: It refers to a complex method of pollination that facilitates the transition from the anther of the flower to the stigma of another flower of pollen grains

Complete step by step answer:
First we should know about pollination to answer this question. Pollination is a process in which pollen grains are extracted from an anther, the male part of a flower, and moved to the female part of the flower called the stigma. The pollen grains must be transported from the same genus of flower in order to make the pollination work efficiently. When the pollen grains from the respective flowers settle on the stigma and develop a pollen tube with the length of the style that ties both the stigma and the ovary, the pollination process begins. The pollen grain begins passing sperm cells from the grain to the ovary after the completion of the pollen tube. The fertilisation process in plants will actually occur later when the ovary and egg cells are reached by the sperm cells.
The pollen grain in the Geitonogamous flowers comes from the same plant. It is moved to the stigma of the same plant by another flower. So by involving the pollinating agent, it is functionally cross pollination, but genetically it is autogamy.

Note:
Geitonogamy is the self-pollination process, and xenogamy is the cross-pollination method. In bisexual flowers, autogamy occurs. Geitonogamous flowers are unisexual in the same plant. When unisexual male and female flowers are present on various plants, dioecious conditions are found and both autogamy and geitonogamy are prevented.