NEET Biology question

Pollen grains that would otherwise germinate readily on the stigma are found to germinate in vitro only when 10–200 ppm of boric acid is added to the medium. This suggests that

(A)Boron accelerates protein synthesis in the pollen grain
(B)Boron has an abrasive effect on the exine
(C)Boric acid serves as a solvent for sporopollenins
(D)The pollen wall is boron-deficient, while naturally high levels of boron occur in the style and stigmaCorrect

Answer: (D)

Solution

Pollen grains germinate normally on the stigma without any external boron supplementation because the stigma and style tissues naturally provide the boron required for pollen germination and pollen-tube growth. When pollen is instead germinated artificially in

See the full step-by-step solution

Create a free account to read the complete working, and practise questions like this in a timed test.

Create a free account

Question ID VK-118616