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Reproduction is one of the most important activities in nature. The reproduction process results in new offspring of living beings like plants, animals, and humans. Reproduction helps to increase the population of living beings. Two types of reproduction are asexual and sexual. In this article, we are going to explain asexual reproduction in plants. Sexual reproduction is common in the unicellular organism, but some multicellular organisms also reproduce by sexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction happens individually, and it is a simple process.
Also, we will discuss what is asexual reproduction in plants and the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction in plants.
Now, let us move ahead to discuss asexual reproduction in plants.
What is asexual reproduction in plants?
The ability of a plant to reproduce another plant of the same type is called assisted reproduction in plants. When a parent plant reproduces, a new plant with the help of apomixis is called propagation.
Apomixis is the term that indicates the reproduction of a plant seed without fertilisation. Apomixis appears only in plants, animals, and humans cannot reproduce with the help of apomixis. Hence, only plants can reproduce a new plant without the fertilisation of my gametes.
Discuss that propagation is a process in which a new plant is reproduced with the help of the parent plant without the process of fertilisation. The origination of new beings without fertilisation is common in unicellular cells. Examples of asexual reproduction in plants are Ginger, Lily, Daffodils, strawberry, etc. The propagation plan doesn’t need to fertilise the seeds in the ovule and also doesn’t need to mix male and female gametes for a new one.
One more process for asexual reproduction in the plants it’s called vegetation. Vegetative reproduction takes place without new seeds. To understand this, you can take the example of a potato in which the stem and buds reproduce various new parts of the child plant. Hope you understand –
What is asexual reproduction in plants?
Difference between Asexual and sexual reproduction in plants
They are many differences between sexual reproduction and the asexual reproduction of the plant.
The difference between sexual and asexual reproduction in plants is discussed in the following table.
Genetic material consists of DNA, RNA and other genetic terms, which help create a unique identity of each plant.
Asexual reproduction | Sexual reproduction |
In asexual reproduction combining genetic material is not compulsory. | The major difference is that in sexual reproduction combining the genetic material of a minimum of two plants is compulsory. |
Asexual reproduction can occur with the fusion of gametes or by the spreading of one of the organs of the plant. In sexual reproduction, fertilisation is a must for the plant’s reproduction. | Also, in sexual reproduction minimum of two individuals are involved, and in sexual reproduction single individual is involved as male and female gametes combine to form a zygote. |
In the asexual reproduction of the plant, sex organs are not the form of offspring. | In the sexual reproduction of the plant, sex organs are formed, as they can reproduce an organism. |
Also, in asexual reproduction, only any parental process is involved. | In sexual reproduction, bi-parental control is involved. |
There is no mutation in the genes in asexual reproduction. | But there are variations in genes in sexual reproduction. |
Asexual reproduction for fertilisation of eggs is not involved. | In sexual reproduction, the fertilisation of eggs is necessary. |
In asexual reproduction formation of gametes is not required. | The formation of gametes is involved in sexual reproduction. Same for the zygote. In sexual reproduction, zygotes are formed as fertilised eggs, which leads to new offspring. |
Asexual reproduction is a fast process compared to sexual reproduction. But, there is not a major process in asexual reproduction. Hence, less time is taken for reproduction. | As in sexual reproduction, many processes like intercourse of parents, fertilisation, and the growth of offspring are involved. |
The advantage of asexual reproduction is that there are no variations in offspring. This helps offspring to live in a diverse environment. Hence, the living changes of the offspring born by asexual reproduction are increased automatically. | Variations created by sexual reproduction lead to weakness in an adverse environment. They rarely survive in adverse situations. |
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed what asexual reproduction in plants is. Also, we discussed the process of asexual reproduction in plants with examples. There is a major process of asexual reproduction in plants – vegetation and apomixis. Also, we discussed the major differences between asexual and sexual reproduction in plants.
While discussing the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction in plants, we considered many points like egg fertilisation, time taken, advantages, etc.
This article will help you understand asexual reproduction in plants and the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction in plants. Enjoy learning and check our other articles related to your interests.
