Which one of the following statements is correct?
- Endothecium produces the microspores.
- Tapetum nourishes the developing pollen.
- Hard outer layer of pollen is called intine.
- Sporogenous tissue is haploid.
Answer
(2) Tapetum nourishes the developing pollen.
Solution
(1) Incorrect: microspores are produced by meiosis of the microspore mother cells of the sporogenous tissue; the endothecium is a wall layer of the microsporangium.
(2) Correct: as per NCERT, the innermost wall layer, the tapetum, nourishes the developing pollen grains.
(3) Incorrect: the hard outer layer of the pollen grain is the exine; the intine is the thin, continuous inner layer.
(4) Incorrect: each cell of the sporogenous tissue is diploid and is a potential pollen (microspore) mother cell.
Answer: (2)