Some plants produce seeds without fertilisation. This process of seed formation is known as apomixis.
Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction mimicking sexual reproduction.
In some species, apomixis occurs as the diploid egg cell is formed without meiosis, and develops into embryo without fertilisation.
In some varieties of citrus and mango, the nucellus cells divide and protrude into the embryo sac to develop into embryos.
In such cases, each ovule may contain several embryos and this condition is called polyembryony.
Apomixis is important for producing hybrid varieties of fruits and vegetables, and also for increasing crop yield multifold.
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