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Parthenocarpy
In botany and horticulture, parthenocarpy is the natural or artificially induced production of fruit without fertilisation of ovules, which makes the fruit seedless. The phenomenon has been observed since ancient times but was first scientifically described by German botanist Fritz Noll in 1902. Parthenocarpy (or stenospermocarpy) occasionally occurs as a mutation in nature; if it affects every flower, the plant can no longer sexually reproduce but might be able to propagate by apomixis or by vegetative means. Examples of this include many citrus varieties that undergo nucellar embryony for reproduction, instead of solely sexual reproduction, and can yield seedless fruits. Stenospermocarpy may also produce apparently seedless fruit, such as "seedless watermelon", but the seeds in stenospermocarpy are actually aborted while they are still small. Ecological importance Parthenocarpy of some fruits on a plant may be of value. Up to 20% of the fruits of wild parsnip are parth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nucellar Embryony
Nucellar embryony (notated Nu+) is a form of seed reproduction that occurs in certain plant species, including many citrus varieties. Nucellar embryony is a type of apomixis, where eventually nucellar embryos from the nucellus tissue of the ovule are formed, independent of meiosis and sexual reproduction. During the development of seeds in plants that possess this genetic trait, the nucellus tissue which surrounds the megagametophyte can produce nucellar cells, also termed initial cells. These additional embryos ( polyembryony) are genetically identical to the parent plant, rendering them as clones. By contrast, zygotic seedlings are sexually produced and inherit genetic material from both parents. Most angiosperms reproduce sexually through double fertilization. Different from nucellar embryony, double fertilization occurs via the syngamy of sperm and egg cells, producing a triploid endosperm and a diploid zygotic embryo. In nucellar embryony, embryos are formed asexually from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seedless Fruit
A seedless fruit is a fruit developed to possess no mature seeds. Since eating seedless fruits is generally easier and more convenient, they are considered commercially valuable. Most commercially produced seedless fruits have been developed from plants whose fruits normally contain numerous relatively large hard seeds distributed throughout the flesh of the fruit. Varieties Common varieties of seedless fruits include watermelons, tomatoes, and grapes (such as Termarina rossa). Additionally, there are numerous seedless citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and limes. A recent development over the last twenty years has been that of seedless sweet peppers (''Capsicum annuum''). The seedless plant combines male sterility in the pepper plant (commonly occurring) with the ability to set seedless fruits (a natural fruit-setting without fertilization). In male sterile plants, the parthenocarpy expresses itself only sporadically on the plant with deformed fruits. It has been repo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagated using the movements of humans and other animals in a symbiotic relationship that is the means for seed dispersal for the one group and nutrition for the other; humans, and many other animals, have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Consequently, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings. In common language and culinary usage, ''fruit'' normally means the seed-associated fleshy structures (or produce) of plants that typically are sweet (or sour) and edible in the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botanical usage, the term ''fruit'' als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apomixis
In botany, apomixis is asexual development of seed or embryo without fertilization. However, other definitions include replacement of the seed by a plantlet or replacement of the flower by bulbils. Apomictically produced offspring are genetically identical to the parent plant, except in nonrecurrent apomixis. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". Normal asexual reproduction of plants, such as propagation from cuttings or leaves, has never been considered to be apomixis. In contrast to parthenocarpy, which involves seedless fruit formation without fertilization, apomictic fruits have viable seeds containing a proper embryo, with asexual origin. In flowering plants, the term "apomixis" is used in a restricted sense to mean agamospermy, i.e. clonal reproduction through seeds. Although agamospermy could theoretically occur in gymnosperms, it appears to be absent in that group. Apogamy is a related term that has had various meanings over time. In plants with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fritz Noll
Fritz Noll (27 August 1858 in Frankfurt am Main – 19 June 1908) was a German botanist who made contributions in the field of plant physiology. He studied natural history and sciences at the Universities of Würzburg, Marburg and Heidelberg. In 1887 he became an assistant to Julius von Sachs at the University of Würzburg, and during the same year received his habilitation. In 1889 he was appointed ''etatsmäßiger'' professor at the agricultural academy at Poppelsdorf, as well as an associate professor at the University of Bonn. In 1907 he became a professor of botany at the University of Halle. He is known for being the first to identify the phenomenon of parthenocarpy and coin the term. Published works With Eduard Strasburger, Heinrich Schenck and Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper, he was co-author of "''Lehrbuch der Botanik für Hochschulen''", a book that was later translated into English with the title ofA Text-book of Botany" (1898) Other noted works by Noll include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stenospermocarpy
Stenospermocarpy is the biological mechanism that produces parthenocarpy (seedlessness) in some fruits, notably many table grapes. In stenospermocarpic fruits, normal pollination and fertilization are still required to ensure that the fruit 'sets', i.e. continues to develop on the plant; however subsequent abortion of the embryo that began growing following fertilization leads to a near seedless condition. The remains of the undeveloped seed are visible in the fruit. Most commercial seedless grapes are sprayed with gibberellin to increase the size of the fruit and also to make the fruit clusters less tightly packed. A new cultivar, 'Melissa', has naturally larger fruit so does not require gibberellin sprays. Grape breeders have developed some new seedless grape cultivars by using the embryo rescue technique. Before the tiny embryo aborts, it is removed from the developing fruit and grown in tissue culture until it is large enough to survive on its own. Embryo rescue allows the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The introduction of the pineapple plant to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. Pineapples grow as a small shrub; the individual flowers of the unpollinated plant fuse to form a multiple fruit. The plant normally propagates from the Offset (botany), offset produced at the top of the fruit or from a side shoot, and typically matures within a year. Description The pineapple is a herbaceous perennial, which grows to tall on average, although sometimes it can be taller. The plant has a short, stocky stem with tough, waxy leaves. When creating its fruit, it usually produces up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange (fruit)
The orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange (''Citrus × aurantium''), is the fruit of a tree in the family (biology), family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid Citrus × sinensis, ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', between the pomelo (''Citrus maxima'') and the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''). The chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo. There are many related hybrids including of mandarins and sweet orange. The sweet orange has had its full Whole genome sequencing, genome sequenced. The orange originated in a region encompassing Northern and southern China, Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar; the earliest mention of the sweet orange was in Chinese literature in 314 BC. Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas for their sweet fruit. The fruit of the Citrus × sinensis, orange tree can be eaten fresh or processed for its juice or fragrant peel (fruit), peel. In 2022, 76 mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grapefruit
The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefruits originated in Barbados in the 18th century. They are a citrus hybrid that was created through an accidental cross between the sweet orange (''C.'' × ''sinensis'') and the pomelo (''C. maxima''), both of which were introduced to the Caribbean from Asia in the 17th century. It has also been called the 'forbidden fruit'. In the past it was called the ''pomelo'', but that term is now mostly used as the common name for ''Citrus maxima''. Grapefruit–drug interactions are common, as the juice contains furanocoumarins that interfere with the metabolism of many drugs. This can prolong and intensify the effects of those drugs, leading to multiple side-effects such as abnormal heart rhythms, bleeding inside the stomach, low blood pressure ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Watermelon Seedless
The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is widely cultivated worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieties. Watermelons are grown in favorable climates from tropical to temperate regions worldwide for its large edible fruit, which is a berry with a hard rind and no internal divisions, and is botanically called a ''pepo''. The sweet, juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds, although seedless varieties exist. The fruit can be eaten raw or pickled, and the rind is edible after cooking. It may also be consumed as a juice or an ingredient in mixed beverages. Kordofan melons from Sudan are the closest relatives and may be progenitors of modern, cultivated watermelons. Wild watermelon seeds were found in Uan Muhuggiag, a prehistoric site in Libya that dates to approximately 3500 BC. In 2022, a study was releas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ficus Carica
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world.''The Fig: its History, Culture, and Curing'', Gustavus A. Eisen, Washington, Govt. print. off., 1901 ''Ficus carica'' is the type species of the genus ''Ficus'', which comprises over 800 tropical and subtropical plant species. A fig plant is a deciduous tree or large shrub, growing up to tall, with smooth white bark. Its large leaves have three to five deep lobes. Its fruit (referred to as syconium, a type of is tear-shaped, long, with a green fruit that may ripen toward purple or brown, and sweet soft reddish flesh containing numerous crunchy seeds. The milky sap of the green parts is an irritant to human skin. In the Northern hemisphere, fresh figs are in season from late August to early Octobe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pollinator
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the major pollinators of most plants, and insect pollinators include all families of bees and most families of Aculeata, aculeate wasps; ants; many families of flies; many lepidopterans (both butterflies and moths); and many families of beetles. Vertebrates, mainly bats and birds, but also some non-bat mammals (monkeys, lemurs, Phalangeriformes, possums, rodents) and some lizards pollinate certain plants. Among the pollinating birds are hummingbirds, honeyeaters and sunbirds with long beaks; they pollinate a number of deep-throated flowers. Humans may also carry out artificial pollination. A pollinator is different from a pollenizer, a plant that is a source of pollen for the pollination process. Background Plants fall into pollination s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
