Pollination of Flowers

The pollination of flowers is the process of transferring mature pollen grains from an anther to a stigma. The matured anther will burst and spread its pollen grains, some of the pollen grains might fall on soil while others are brought by pollinating agents to the stigma of a flower.

There are 2 types of pollination, self-pollination and cross- pollination. Sounds the same right? The meanings are different though… Self-pollination means pollen grains are transferred to the stigma of another flower on the same plant or to the stigma of the same flower. Cross-pollination on the other hand means the pollen grains are transferred to the stigma of another flower on a different plant of the same species.

Cross-pollination is way better than self-pollination because cross-pollination forms healthier plants which can adapt better changes in the environment, new varieties of plants, good quality seeds and new plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases.