Question

What is double fertilisation? Explain.

Answer 1

After the pollen tube releases two male gametes into a synergid, one male gamete fuses with the egg cell to form a diploid zygote; this is syngamy. The other fuses with the two polar nuclei (or secondary nucleus) in the central cell to form the triploid primary endosperm nucleus; this is triple fusion. The occurrence of both events in one embryo sac is called double fertilisation, a characteristic feature of flowering plants.