Reproduction in Plants

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Plants

One of the essential features of all living things on the earth is reproduction. Reproduction is a vital process for the existence of a species and it also brings suitable changes through variation in the offsprings for their survival on earth. Plant reproduction is important not only for its own survival but also for the continuation and existence of all other organisms since the latter directly or indirectly depend on plants. Reproduction also plays an important role in evolution.

In this unit let us learn in detail about reproduction in plants.

Milestones in Plant Embryology

1682 - Nehemiah Grew mentioned stamens as the male organ of a flower.

1694 - R.J.Camerarius described the structure of a flower, anther, pollen and ovule

1761 - J.G. Kolreuter gave a detailed account on the importance of insects in pollination

1824 - G.B.Amici discovered the pollen tube.

1848 - Hofmeister described the structure of pollen tetrad

1870 - Hanstein described the development of embryo in Capsella and Alisma

1878 - E.Strasburger reported polyembryony

 1898- E.Strasburger discovered the process of Syngamy.

1898 and 1899 - S.G.Nawaschin and        L. Guignard & independently discovered Double fertilization

1904 – E.Hanning initiated embryo culture.

1950 - D.A. Johansen proposed classification for embryo development

1964 - S.Guha and S.C.Maheswari raised haploids from Datura pollen grains

1991 - E.S.Coen and E. M. Meyerowitz proposed the ABC model to describe the genetics of initiation and development of floral parts

2015 - K.V.Krishnamurthy summarized the molecular aspects of pre and post fertilization reproductive development in flowering plants

Panchanan Maheswari (1904-1966)

Professor P. Maheswari was an eminent Botanist who specialised in plant embryology, morphology and anatomy. In 1934, he became the Fellow of Indian Academy of Science. He published the book titled “An introduction to the Embryology of Angiosperms”in 1950. He established the International Society for Plant Morphologists, in 1951.

Basically reproduction occurring in organisms fall under two major categories

1.     Asexual reproduction

2.     Sexual reproduction.