Question

Why are some seeds of Citrus referred to as polyembryonic? How are they formed?

Answer 1

Some seeds of Citrus are called polyembryonic because they contain more than one embryo. This occurs due to adventive polyembryony, where additional embryos develop from nucellus cells (sporophytic tissue) alongside the zygotic embryo. These adventive embryos are genetically similar to the parent. The embryos develop asynchronously, resulting in multiple embryos of different sizes within the same seed. This form of polyembryony is advantageous in horticulture for producing uniform seedlings.