Draw a neat diagram to show germination of pollen on the female reproductive part of the flower. Name and label only the following parts: (a) The part that receives the pollen grain. (b) The structure that carries the male germ cell to reach the female germ cell.
Draw a neat diagram to show germination of pollen on the female reproductive part of the flower. Name and label only the following parts: (a) The part that receives the pollen grain. (b) The structure that carries the male germ cell to reach the female germ cell.
Diagram of pollen germination on the stigma, with (a) the stigma labelled as the part that receives the pollen grain, and (b) the pollen tube labelled as the structure that carries the male germ cell to the female germ cell.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for a correctly drawn and labelled diagram showing pollen germination on the stigma
- 21 mark for correctly naming and labelling (a) stigma and (b) pollen tube
Hint
Recall the three parts of the pistil in order from top to bottom — stigma, style, ovary — and identify which structure grows out of the pollen grain after it lands.
Quick Oral Answer
The stigma receives the pollen grain, which then germinates to produce a pollen tube; this tube grows through the style into the ovary and delivers the male germ cell to the egg cell in the ovule, completing fertilisation.
Analysis & Explanation
As per the NCERT chapter (Section 7.3.2 and Fig. 7.8 'Germination of pollen on stigma'): 'Pistil is present in the centre of a flower and is the female reproductive part... The swollen bottom part is the ovary, middle elongated part is the style and the terminal part which may be sticky is the stigma... Thus the pollen needs to be transferred from the stamen to the stigma... After the pollen lands on a suitable stigma, it has to reach the female germ-cells which are in the ovary. For this, a tube grows out of the pollen grain and travels through the style to reach the ovary.'
(a) The part that receives the pollen grain is the stigma — the sticky terminal part of the pistil on which pollen grains land during pollination.
(b) The structure that carries the male germ cell to reach the female germ cell is the pollen tube — it grows out of the germinating pollen grain, travels down through the style, and enters the ovary to reach the ovule, delivering the male germ cell to the female germ-cell (egg) for fertilisation.
Diagram should show: a pollen grain sitting on the stigma, germinating to put out a pollen tube that grows down through the style into the ovary, ending near the ovule containing the egg cell. Only the stigma and the pollen tube need to be labelled per the question, though showing style and ovary gives context.
Common Mistakes
- 1Labelling the style instead of the stigma as the part that 'receives' the pollen grain
- 2Confusing the pollen tube with the vas deferens/sperm duct concept from the human system
- 3Drawing the pollen tube growing from the ovary upward instead of from the stigma downward
Interesting Facts
The pollen tube is one of the fastest-growing plant cells known, sometimes growing several centimetres in just a few hours to reach the ovule in time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2026?
This question carries 2 marks in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 examination.
Which chapter does this question come from in Science?
This question is from the chapter "How do Organisms Reproduce?" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.
What topic does this question cover in Science?
This question covers the topic "Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants — Pollen Germination" from CBSE Class 10 Science.
What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 paper?
This is a Very Short Answer question from Section A in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 paper.