Within the plant ovule, which eventually becomes the seed, there occurs a complex array of inter-related processes which agriculture seeks to understand, modify, and exploit. The ovule is receptive to both the products of photosynthesis and to male gametes provided by the pollen. It is now possible to culture ovules in vitro before or after fertilisation and also to modify the male gametes. The long familiar phenomenon of fertilisation now has new implications for plant improvement.
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