Question

Parthenocarp is a fruit
A. Formed from a superior ovary
B. Formed from an inferior ovary
C. Consisting of ripened ovary and thalamus
D. Which does not possess seeds

Answer 1

Hint: The fruits grown by this method are called virgin fruits. It is present naturally in fruits like banana, pineapple, and fig. This kind of fruit lacks embryos and endosperms.

Complete answer:
Parthenocarpy is a type of asexual reproduction that is observed in flowering plants. The development of fruits without seeds is called parthenocarpy. In these plants, the ovary will develop into fruits without the fertilization of the ovules. This process is generally observed in plants lacking ovary or the plants which cannot undergo sexual reproduction because of the mutations. They can reproduce by apomixis or by vegetative propagation. The image below shows a seedless watermelon which is an example of the parthenocarp.

Additional Information
Parthenocarpic fruits can be encouraged artificially by spraying plant growth hormones such as auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinin.
The three types of parthenocarpy are:
- Vegetative parthenocarpy: It occurs without undergoing pollination. Seedless cucumber is an example of vegetative parthenocarpy.
- Stimulative parthenocarpy: Stimulative parthenocarpy also occurs without pollination. But it occurs when it is stimulated by external support such as insertion of the ovipositor of wasp into the flower ovary or it the plants can be stimulated via spraying of plant growth regulators in unisexual plants.
- Stenospermocarpy: In this parthenocarpy type, the plants will undergo fertilization and the seeds will be formed. However, these seeds will eventually be rejected when these plants are small. This phenomenon is commonly observed in fruits like seedless grapes, watermelon.

Advantages of parthenocarpy
-We can obtain superior fruit quality by parthenocarpy.
-Parthenocarpy enhances crop yield and decreases crop cultivation cost.
-Parthenocarpy will not attract any pests because there is no fertilization as well as no pollination involved in these plants. So, no chemical fertilizers are required.
-Large fruit size can be obtained as some parthenocarpic fruits are grown by using growth hormones.

Disadvantages of parthenocarpy
-Parthenocarpy reproduces by asexual reproduction and thus there will not be any genetic variation between progenies.
-It cannot produce its progeny because these fruits lack seeds.

Hence, the correct answer is parthenocarp is a fruit that does not possess seeds.
Note: Parthenocarpy is the growth of fruits without fertilization whereas apomixis is the seed formation without fertilization. Also, parthenocarpy is not desirable in nut crops such as in walnuts, almonds, pistachios.