self-fertility

A bee pollinates a self-fertility flower in the garden.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • In botany: "self-fertility" is the ability of a plant to produce viable seeds or fruit through self-pollination, without requiring pollen from another plant of the same species. It is the quality of being self-fertile.

Usage Examples

• (The plants can pollinate themselves.)
• (The crop can reproduce using its own pollen.)

Advanced Usage

• "self-fertility in horticulture": a trait often bred into cultivated plants to guarantee fruit production.

  • Breeders selected for self-fertility in apple trees to avoid the need for multiple varieties in orchards. (They chose trees that could pollinate themselves.)

• "self-fertility vs. self-sterility": the opposite condition where a plant cannot fertilize itself.

  • Self-fertility is common in legumes, while many orchids display self-sterility. (One group can self-pollinate; the other cannot.)

Variants and Related Words

• Self-fertile (adj): describing a plant capable of self-fertilization.

  • This self-fertile rose variety produces hips without a partner. (It can set fruit alone.)

• Self-fertilization (n): the process of a plant fertilizing itself.

  • Self-fertilization relies on self-fertility as a prerequisite. (The process depends on the trait.)

Synonyms

• Autogamy: the biological term for self-fertilization in plants.
• Self-pollination: the transfer of pollen from the same flower or plant to its stigma.

Related Idioms