About me

Sushil kumar rajbhar

Final proffesional BHMS student
Managing director of Doctors medical group
Authoured a book on pre-medical preparation “MEDICAS MIRACLE”
Topper of Olympiads during schooldays
Teaches life science for pre-medical preparation and board exams (11
& 12)
Produced various video lectures on different topics of life science
Also teaches BHMS students
Bhopal chief of dahij ( NGO by medical students)
https://www.facebook.com/Drkrishanpmt/
https://www.facebook.com/dahijindia/
 Sexual reproduction in flowering plants

 FLOWER

 A Fascinating organ of Angiosperms flower has

myriads of forms, scents, perfumes, nectar and
colours.
 Since times immemorial, flower has been object
of admiration, aesthetic, ornamental, social,
religious and cultural value. It has been used as
a symbol of conveying human feeling of love,
affection, happiness, grief & mounring.
L.S OF A FLOWER
 a) a typical stamen
 b) three dimensional cut section of an anther
 STRUCTURE OF ANTHER
 A typical angiosperm anther is bilobed with each lobe
having two theca i.e. they are dithecous. Often, a
longitudinal groove runs length wise separating the theca.
The bilobed nature of an anther is very distinct in the
transverse section of the anther. The anther is a four-sided
(tetragonal) structure consisting of four
MICROSPORANGIA located at the corners, two in each
lobe.

a) TS of young anther
b) Enlarged view of one microsporangium showing wall layers
 The process of formation of microspores from a pollen
mother cell (PMC) through meiosis is called
microsporogenesis.
 The microspores, as they are formed, are arranged in
a cluster of four cells–the microspore tetrad.
 As the anthers mature and dehydrate, the
microspores dissociate from each other and develop
into pollen grains.

[Enlarged view of a pollen grain tetrad]

 Pollen grain: The pollen grains represent the male

gametophytes. Pollen grains are generally spherical
measuring about 25-50 micrometers in diameter. It
has a prominent two-layered wall. The hard outer
layer called the exine is made up of sporopollenin
which is one of the most resistant organic material
known.
 Pollen grain exine has prominent apertures
called germ pores where sporopollenin is absent.
 The inner wall of the pollen grain is called the
intine. It is a thin and continuous layer made up
of cellulose and pectin.
 When the pollen grain is mature it contains two
cells, the vegetative cell and generative cell. The
vegetative cell is bigger, has abundant food
reserve and a large irregularly shaped nucleus.
 The generative cell is small and floats in the
cytoplasm of the vegetative cell.
 In the remaining species, the generative cell
divides mitotically to give rise to the two male
gametes before pollen grains are shed (3-celled
stage).
Some electron micrographs of pollen grains

The Pistil, Megasporangium (ovule) and Embryo sac

The gynoecium represents the female reproductive

part of the flower. The gynoecium may consist of a
single pistil (monocarpellary) or may have more
than one pistil (multicarpellary).
 When there are more than one, the pistils may be
fused together (syncarpous) or may be free
(apocarpous) . Each pistil has three parts the stigma,
style and ovary.
The Megasporangium (Ovule)
 The ovule is a small structure attached to the
placenta by means of a stalk called funicle.
 The body of the ovule fuses with funicle in the region
called hilum. Thus,hilum represents the junction
between ovule and funicle. Each ovule has one or two
protective envelopes called integuments.
 Integuments encircle the nucellus except at the tip
where a small opening called the micropyle is
organised. Opposite the micropylar end, is the
chalaza, representing the basal part of the ovule.
a) A dissected flower of Hibiscus showing pistil (other floral parts have
been removed)
(b) Multicarpellary, syncarpous pistil of Papaver
(c) A multicarpellary, apocarpous gynoecium of Michelia
(d) A diagrammatic view of a typical anatropous ovule
 Megasporogenesis : The process of formation of
megaspores from the megaspore mother cell is
called megasporogenesis.

2, 4, and 8-nucleate stages of embryo sac

 Female gametophyte : In a majority of
flowering plants, one of the megaspores is
functional while the other three degenerate. Only
the functional megaspore develops into the
female gametophyte (embryo sac). This method of
embryo sac formation from a single megaspore is
termed as monosporic development.
 The nucleus of the functional megaspore divides
mitotically to form two nuclei which move to the
opposite poles, forming the 2- nucleate embryo
sac. Two more sequential mitotic nuclear
divisions results in the formation of the 4-
nucleate and later the 8- nucleate. After this, cell
wall gametophyte or embryo sac.
 Six of the eight nuclei are surrounded by cell
walls and organized into cell, the remaining two
nuclei, called polar nuclei are situated below the
egg apparatus in the large CENTRAL CELL.
 In embryo sac, 3 cells are grouped together at the
micropylar and and constitute the EGG
APPARATUS. It consists of two SYNERGIDS
and one EGG cell. The synergids have special
cellular thickenings at the micropylar tip called
filiform apparatus which play an important role
in guiding the pollen tubes into the synergids.
Three cells are at the chalazal end and are called
ANTIPODALS. The large central cells as
mentioned earlier, has two polar nuclei. Thus, a
typical angiosperm embryo sac, at maturity,
through 8- nuclear is 7-celled
 Pollination
 Transfer of pollen grains (shed from the anther)
to the stigma of a pistil is termed pollination.
 Depending on the source of pollen, pollination
can be divided into three types :
i) Autogamy : In this type, pollination is achieved
within the same flower. Transfer of pollen grains
from the anther to the stigma of the same flower.
ii) Geitonogamy – Transfer of pollen grains from
the anther to the stigma of another flower of the
same plant.
iii) Xenogamy – Transfer of pollen grains from
anther to the stigma of a different plant.This is the
only type of pollination which during pollination
brings genetically different types of pollen grains to
the stigma.
 Pollen-pistil Interaction : Pollination does not
guarantee the transfer of the right type of pollen
(compatible pollen of the same species as the
stigma). Often, pollen of the wrong type, either
from other species or from the same plant (if it is
self-incompatible), also land on the stigma.
 The pistil has the ability to recognise the pollen,
whether it is of the right type (compatible) or of
the wrong type (incompatible). If it is of the right
type, the pistil accepts the pollen and promotes
post-pollination events that leads to fertilisation.
If the pollen is of the wrong type, the pistil rejects
the pollen by preventing pollen germination on
the stigma or the pollen tube growth in the style
 Artificial Hybridization:
It is the technique in plant breeding where crosses
are made between different varieties, species and
even genera in order to combine their desirable
characters in a single superior variety. Artificial
hybridization is one of the major approaches in
crop improvement. This is carried out by the two
process of EMASCULATION and BAGGING.
 Emasculation is the practice of removing
anthers in their bud condition from the bisexual
flowers of plants selected as female parents by
means of a pair of fine forceps. It is not required
in case of unisexual flowers.
 Bagging is the covering of both emasculated and
non- emasculated flowers with butter paper/
polythene in their bud condition to prevent
contamination from unwanted pollen. When the
stigmas of emasculated flowers nature, the bags
are removed for a while. The stigmas are dusted
with pollen grains of desired male plants by
means of a brush. The flowers are rebagged till
fruits develop. Flowers are bagged to prevent
contamination
Double fertilization:
 Double fertilization was discovered by Nawschin
1898, in Fritillaria and Lilium. It was confirmed by in
1899 by Guignard.

 After entering one of the synergids, the pollen tube

release the two male gametes into the cytoplasm of
the synergid. One of the male gamete move toward
the egg cell and fuses with its nucleus and thus
completing the SYNGAMY. This results in the
formation of a diploid cell, the ZYGOTE.

 The other male gamete move towards the two polar

nuclei located in the central cell and fuses with them
to produce a triploid PRIMARY ENDOSPERM
NUCLEUS (PEN). As this involves the fusion of three
haploid nuclei it is termed as TRIPLE FUSION
(a) Fertilised embryo sac showing zygote and Primary
Endosperm Nucleus (PEN)
(b) Stages in embryo development in a dicot
POST-FERTILISATION : STRUCTURES AND
EVENTS

 Endosperm: Endosperm development precedes

embryo development. The primary endosperm cell
divides repeatedly and forms a triploid endosperm
tissue. The cells of this tissue are filled with reserve
food materials and are used for the nutrition of the
developing embryo. In the most common type of
endosperm development.
 Embryo : Embryo develops at the micropylar end of
the embryo sac where the zygote is situated. Most
zygotes divide only after certain amount of endosperm
is formed. This is an adaptation to provide assured
nutrition to the developing embryo. Though the seeds
differ greatly, the early stages of embryo development
(embryogeny) are similar in both monocotyledons and
dicotyledons.
 POLYEMBRYONY:- It is the phenomenon of
formation of more than one embryo during the
development of seed. Rao(1965) has found
polyembryony to develop during seed
germination in vandal caused by cleavage of
apical promeristem of single embryo.
 Polyembryony was discovered by
Leeuwenhoek(1719) in case of citrus .
 Polyembryony is of three types
I] Simple- eg. Poa , Casuarinas, Citrus
 Cleavage polyembryony- eg. Pinus, orchids
 III] Adventitive polyembryony-eg. Citrus, opuntia
,Onion, Mangifera, Trillium,Groundnut.