Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to stigma of another flower of the same plant is called
- (a)Autogamy
- (b)Geitonogamy
- (c)Xenogamy
- (d)None of the above
Correct — B, Geitonogamy. Geitonogamy is the transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of a different flower borne on the SAME plant. Genetically it is still self-pollination (the two flowers share one parent plant), but because the pollen must travel between flowers it usually needs a pollinating agent, just like cross-pollination. That exactly matches the question.
- (a)Autogamy — Autogamy is self-pollination WITHIN the same flower — pollen from an anther lands on the stigma of that same flower, not another flower.
- (c)Xenogamy — Xenogamy is cross-pollination — pollen is carried to the stigma of a flower on a DIFFERENT plant, not the same plant.
- (d)None of the above — Wrong — a specific term, geitonogamy, precisely describes flower-to-flower transfer on the same plant.
Pollination is classified by how far the pollen travels. Autogamy = pollen to the stigma of the same flower. Geitonogamy = pollen to another flower on the same plant. Xenogamy = pollen to a flower on a genetically different plant. Autogamy and geitonogamy are both genetically 'self-pollination'; xenogamy is true cross-pollination that brings in new genetic variation.
The trap is the phrase 'another flower.' Because a pollinator carries the pollen between two flowers, students may jump to xenogamy (cross-pollination). But the two flowers are on the SAME plant, so it is geitonogamy — a bridge case that is functionally cross-pollination yet genetically self-pollination.
- Autogamy — pollen transfer within the same flower (self-pollination in the strict sense).
- Geitonogamy — pollen transfer between two flowers of the same plant; genetically self-pollination but needs a pollinator.
- Xenogamy — pollen transfer to a flower of a different plant; true cross-pollination bringing genetic variation.
- The anther is the pollen-producing part of the stamen; the stigma is the pollen-receiving tip of the pistil/carpel.
- Reading 'another flower' as a different plant and choosing xenogamy — the flowers here are on the SAME plant (geitonogamy)
- Treating geitonogamy as genetically cross-pollination — it is genetically self-pollination
MPPSC and UPSC ask you to match the pollination term to its definition, or to identify which type keeps the plant genetically 'selfed' — fix autogamy (same flower) → geitonogamy (same plant) → xenogamy (different plant).
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Transfer of pollen grains to the stigma of the same flower is called:
- (a)Geitonogamy
- (b)Xenogamy
- (c)Autogamy
- (d)Apogamy
Answer(c) Autogamy — self-pollination within the same flower.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which type of pollination brings about genetic variation by transferring pollen to a flower of a genetically different plant?
- (a)Autogamy
- (b)Geitonogamy
- (c)Xenogamy
- (d)Cleistogamy
Answer(c) Xenogamy — true cross-pollination between different plants, introducing new genetic variation.