Question

Which of the labelled parts in the transverse section of tomato fruit, is/are diploid?

A. X
B. Y
C. Both X and Y
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint: The tomato is the edible part of the tomato plant. The mature ovaries make a bright red fruit which is eaten in almost every region of the world and is used in various dishes. The ovary wall of a mature ovary forms the pericarp which is the fleshy edible part in a tomato. The pericarp surrounds the seeds of tomatoes for their protection.

Complete answer: Tomato is one of the most commonly used and loved vegetables bright in colour and sweet in taste. It is a fleshy bright red berry fruit. The outer wall of the tomato encloses fleshy and juicy tissue called the pericarp. The pericarp is the developed stage of the outer wall of the ovary of the tomato plant flower. The part labelled as Y in the given diagram is the pericarp. It is made up of three layers called the epicarp which makes the peel of tomato, the mesocarp, and the endocarp which is the innermost layer. The endocarp consists of the seeds of a tomato. Thus, the pericarp forms a protective layer around the seeds which are labelled as X. Now, the pericarp is the part of the female gametophyte and the seeds are the result of fertilization. As seeds form by fusion of two haploid gametes, they are diploid. The pericarp is also diploid as it has to be tough and to act as a nutritive layer for enclosed seeds.
Hence, option C is the correct answer.

Note: The terms perisperm and pericarp are often confused for their meanings. But the perisperm is the unused nucellus in the seeds. It is a part of the seed, whereas the pericarp is a part of the ripened ovary. The perisperm is usually dry as compared to the fleshy and juicy pericarp in fruits.