Question

Which of the following processes is helpful in hybrid seed production?
(a) Embryo rescue
(b) Apomixis
(c) Polyembryony
(d) Somatic hybridization

Answer 1

Hint: Production of hybrid seeds each year is costly and hence the cost of hybrid seed is too expensive to the farmers. The farmers want to use the hybrid seeds to raise new crops year after year and he does not want to buy hybrid seeds every year. So we must retain hybrid characteristics in seeds.

complete answer:
-Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that is similar to sexual reproduction.
-In this process the asexual formation of seed takes place from maternal tissues of the ovule, avoiding the processes of meiosis and fertilization leading to embryo development.
-It is a special mechanism that has been evolved in plants to produce seeds without fertilization.
- There is no segregation of genes that contain hybrid characters in the next generation. So if hybrids are made into apomicts, the progeny will maintain hybrid characters.
–It helps farmers to conserve the superior yields.
-Apomixis would no longer need to access or purchase new hybrid seeds for every planting season in order to ensure a marketable surplus.

Additional information:
-Three types of apomixis are diplospory, apospory, and adventitious embryony.
-Apomixis is very useful when we want to fix heterosis.
-Apomixis can be done in different ways. The most common ones are recurrent agamospermy and adventive embryony.
-It is very useful in the field of agriculture.

So, the correct answer is ‘Apomixis’.

Note: Physiological factors and hormones are thought to be the direct cause of apomixis. A disadvantage of apomictic seeds is that due to lack of sexual reproduction, there is no chance for variation in traits. It was first defined by Hand Winkler.