Question

Which advantage of self-pollination relates to the maintenance of genetic characteristics?

Options

• New varieties can be rapidly produced in each generation

• Parental characters are preserved, maintaining purity of species

• Defective characters are automatically removed from offspring

• Vigour and vitality increase significantly over generations

Answer 1

Self-pollination preserves parental characters and maintains the purity of the species because only one parent is involved. The new plants produced are genetically identical to the parent plant, ensuring that desired traits are retained across generations.