Question

To obtain seedless watermelon, which among the following method is followed?
A) Apomixes
B) Somatic hybridization
C) Organogenesis
D) Micropropagation

Answer 1

Hint: The protoplast of somatic cells from two different plants having desirable characters is isolated and fused to produce a hybrid protoplast. Somatic cells are cells other than sex cells.

Complete answer:
Modern-day techniques allow us to manipulate the genes of plants and produce new varieties having desired qualities. This can be done to increase the yield, resistance to insects and pests, improve taste or produce seedless varieties.

Let us understand all the options-
A) Apomixes- It is the process of formation of seeds without fertilization or normal sexual reproduction. It is the type of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction. Apomixes is beneficial in producing hybrid seeds as the apomictic plant is a clone of its parent plant. It is seen in some species of Asteraceae and grasses.
B) Somatic hybridization- It is the process of fusion of the protoplast of two somatic cells from different plants. It results in the formation of a hybrid plant. Seedless watermelon is produced by this method.
C) Organogenesis- The process of formation of organs in the body is called organogenesis. It occurs in all organisms during gastrulation when the embryo is growing and the organism is developing.
D) Micropropagation- It is the process of producing plants vegetatively by the means of tissue culture or cell culture. By this method, thousands of plants can be produced, and these will be identical to the parent plant.

Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note: In somatic hybridization, protoplasm obtained from two different varieties of plants, having desirable qualities, is fused to get hybrid protoplasm. It is grown to form a new plant which is called somatic hybrid. For example- A hybrid produced from wheat and rye called triticale is produced by this method. Pomato was formed by fusing the protoplasts of tomato and potato.