Worksheet 16.

2
Self- and cross-pollination
An investigation was carried out into the effects of self-pollination and cross-pollination in
plants of American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius.
Before the flowers opened, flowers on selected plants were covered with bags made of a
very fine mesh. When each flower opened, the bags were removed and the stamens were
carefully removed.
For some of the flowers, pollen from the removed anthers was then dusted onto the stigma of
the same flower. These were the self-pollinated flowers.
For other flowers, pollen from a different flower was dusted onto their stigmas. These were the
cross-pollinated flowers.
The flowers were then covered again with the mesh bags, and were allowed to grow normally
and produce seeds. The seeds were collected and sown, and allowed to grow for two years.
The leaf area and stem height of each plant was measured, and the mean values for the
seedlings grown from self-pollinated plants, and those grown from cross-pollinated plants,
were calculated.
The results are shown in the bar charts.

50 10.0

40
7.5
Stem height / cm
Leaf area / cm2

30
5.0
20
2.5
10

0 0
Self-pollination Cross-pollinated Self-pollination Cross-pollinated
Pollination treatment Pollination treatment

1 State the genus of the plants that were used in this study.

2 a Explain why the flowers were covered with bags before the flowers opened.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE® Biology Worksheet 16.2 1

 b Suggest why the bags were made of fine mesh, rather than polythene.

c Explain why the stamens were removed from all of the flowers.

3 a Compare the results for the self-pollinated and cross-pollinated plants. (Remember to
quote figures from the graphs in your answers.)

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE® Biology Worksheet 16.2 2