Juvenility, Flower Bud Differentiation,

Pollination, Fertilization,
Pollinizers and Pollinators
 Juvenility
• Juvenility is the period in which a plant cannot
produce flowers.
• It occurs in the initial stage of a plant.
• In this stage the development of new parts
takes place.
• It can last up to 20-30 days and can go up to
30-40 years depending upon the type of plant.
• It can be considered as childhood phase of a
plant.
 Flower Bud Differentiation
• Development of flower parts following initiation.
• Flower differentiation can take from only a few days in annual
plants to 4-11 months in fruit crops.
• Flower induction is the physiological process in the plant by
which the shoot apical meristem becomes competent to
develop flowers.
• Usually Flower differentiation takes place after flower
induction. (with some notable exceptions such as in kiwifruit,
where the two processes are separated)
• Flower induction can be reversed, but flower differentiation is
irreversible, because anatomical changes are in place.
 Pollination
• Pollination is a process of transferring of pollens
from one flower to another.
• Fertilization is the process after the successful
transfer of pollination, which involves the fusion
of male gametes and female gametes of plants.
• Both of these are the natural process.
• But only flowering plants undergo the process of
pollination, while fertilization is the common
process of almost all living being.
 Difference between
Pollination and Fertilization
Particulars Pollination Fertilization
Meaning The process of transfer of pollen It involves the union of the male
from the male parts (anther) of a gamete (sperm) and female gamete
flower to the female part (stigma) of (egg).
the same or different flower is called
as pollination.
Kind of It is an external mechanism and takes It is an internal mechanism and takes
mechanism place on the outer part of a flower. place inside the flowers.
Time of Pollination takes place before Fertilization takes place after
process fertilization. pollination.

It occurs in Pollination occurs in flowering plants Fertilization is followed by almost

only. every plant and living being present
on earth.
External Required pollination agent (external No external factors.
Factors factors).
 Pollinizer
• A polarizer (or polleniser or Pollinizer ), is a plant
that provides pollen.
• A pollinizer provides abundant, compatible, and
viable pollen at the same flowering time as the
pollinated plant.
• For example, most crab apple varieties are good
pollenizers for any apple tree that blooms at the
same time, and are often used in apple orchards for
the purpose.
 Pollinator
• A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves the pollen, such
as bees, moths, bats and birds. An animal may also act as a
pollinator. Bees are thus often referred to as “pollinating
insects”.
• Insect pollinators include bees, (honey bees, solitary
species, bumblebees); pollen wasps (Masarinae); ants; flies
including bee flies, hoverflies and mosquitoes;
lepidopteron, both butterflies and moths;
and flower beetles.
• Fig wasps: The fig would not exist without the fig wasp. The
wasp pollinates the fig when the female lays her eggs in the
developing fruit. She picks up pollen on her ovipositor and
then transfers it to a new plant as she lays eggs.
• In Mango, the common House Fly “ Musca domestica” act a
pollinator.