Module: | Pre-fertilization: Micro/Megasporogenesis
Q26: Consider the following statements regarding parthenocarpy and hormonal induction:
1. Parthenocarpic fruits develop completely without the process of fertilization, making them inherently seedless.
2. The commercial banana is a classic, naturally occurring example of a parthenocarpic fruit.
3. Parthenocarpy is strictly a natural genetic phenomenon and cannot be artificially induced in standard crops.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. The commercial banana is a classic, naturally occurring example of a parthenocarpic fruit.
3. Parthenocarpy is strictly a natural genetic phenomenon and cannot be artificially induced in standard crops.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but Statement 3 is incorrect.
Parthenocarpy is the biological process whereby a fruit develops from the ovary without any fertilization occurring.
Because no male gamete fuses with the egg cell, no zygote or seed is formed, resulting in seedless fruits.
The naturally occurring, commercially cultivated banana is the most heavily cited example of this in historical botany curricula.
Causally, fruit growth is driven by hormones produced by developing seeds; in parthenocarpy, the plant tissue itself produces these hormones autonomously.
Contrary to Statement 3, parthenocarpy can be easily and artificially induced in crops like tomatoes and grapes by the external application of growth hormones, specifically auxins and gibberellins, which mimic the hormonal signal of fertilization and trigger ovary swelling.
Parthenocarpy is the biological process whereby a fruit develops from the ovary without any fertilization occurring.
Because no male gamete fuses with the egg cell, no zygote or seed is formed, resulting in seedless fruits.
The naturally occurring, commercially cultivated banana is the most heavily cited example of this in historical botany curricula.
Causally, fruit growth is driven by hormones produced by developing seeds; in parthenocarpy, the plant tissue itself produces these hormones autonomously.
Contrary to Statement 3, parthenocarpy can be easily and artificially induced in crops like tomatoes and grapes by the external application of growth hormones, specifically auxins and gibberellins, which mimic the hormonal signal of fertilization and trigger ovary swelling.