Module: | Pollination & Outbreeding Devices
Q41: Consider the following statements regarding the duration of pollen viability:
1. In cereals such as wheat and rice, pollen grains generally lose viability within 30 minutes of their release from the anther.
2. Members of families such as Rosaceae, Leguminosae, and Solanaceae can maintain pollen viability for several months.
3. Environmental factors such as ambient temperature and atmospheric humidity have absolutely no effect on the duration of pollen viability.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. Members of families such as Rosaceae, Leguminosae, and Solanaceae can maintain pollen viability for several months.
3. Environmental factors such as ambient temperature and atmospheric humidity have absolutely no effect on the duration of pollen viability.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, whereas Statement 3 is entirely incorrect.
Pollen viability refers to the specific period during which a pollen grain retains the ability to successfully germinate on a receptive stigma.
Botanically, this duration is highly species-specific.
For many cereal crops like wheat and rice, the viability window is extremely narrow, lasting only about 30 minutes, which makes rapid wind pollination critical.
Conversely, plants in the families Rosaceae (roses, apples), Leguminosae (peas, beans), and Solanaceae (tomatoes, potatoes) possess robust pollen that remains viable for months.
Statement 3 is a direct contradiction of physiological facts: the causal mechanism of viability loss is cellular desiccation and metabolic breakdown, which are heavily accelerated by high temperatures and low humidity.
Thus, environmental factors strictly dictate the precise viability lifespan in natural conditions.
Pollen viability refers to the specific period during which a pollen grain retains the ability to successfully germinate on a receptive stigma.
Botanically, this duration is highly species-specific.
For many cereal crops like wheat and rice, the viability window is extremely narrow, lasting only about 30 minutes, which makes rapid wind pollination critical.
Conversely, plants in the families Rosaceae (roses, apples), Leguminosae (peas, beans), and Solanaceae (tomatoes, potatoes) possess robust pollen that remains viable for months.
Statement 3 is a direct contradiction of physiological facts: the causal mechanism of viability loss is cellular desiccation and metabolic breakdown, which are heavily accelerated by high temperatures and low humidity.
Thus, environmental factors strictly dictate the precise viability lifespan in natural conditions.