question_answer

Mention the different types of pollination. Give the term for pollination done by animals. Mention the agents that bring about cross pollination. List the major advantages of cross pollination.

OR

Briefly describe the aims & objectives of reproductive health programme in India. How can we improve reproductive health?

 

Answer:

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of the pistil. Many pollen grains are immotile therefore require any external agency for this purpose. Pollination is of two types - self-pollination and cross-pollination

Self-pollination - Pollination between same flower or genetically similar flower. It is of two types - autogamy and geitonogamy

Cross-pollination - Pollination between genetically different flowers. It is also called xenogamy

External agencies are helpful in cross pollination. These external agencies maybe abiotic (wind, water) or biotic (msects, birds, bats snails, etc). Majority of plants use biotic agents for pollination.

The pollination through the agency of animals is called zoophily The most common type of animal pollinators are insects & pollination by them are called entomophily Others are birds, bats, snails, etc. Zoophilous flowers are adapted to be pollinated by specific type of animals.

Cross-pollination is favoured by nature and has many advantages which are as follows:

(i) It introduces genetic recombination?s and hence variations in the progeny

(ii) It increases the adaptability of the offspring towards changing environment.

(iii) Offspring produced by cross pollination have characters better than the parents because of the phenomenon of hybrid vigour.

(iv) It leads to elimination of defective characters of the race and with the replacement by better character.

(v) Progenies become more resistant to diseases.

(vi) Seeds produced are more in number and also viable.

OR

Aims & objectives of reproductive health programmes -

(i) To create awareness in both males & females about various reproductive related aspects with the help of audio-visual & print media of both government & non-government agencies. Parents, other closed relatives, teachers & other friends can also play an important role in dissemination of such information.

(ii) To provide sex education in the schools to save the young school goers from myth & misconception about sex related issues.

(iii) To prevent & control sexually transmitted diseases by providing proper information about reproductive organs, adolescence and safe & hygienic sexual practices.

(iv) Adolescent health counselling centres should be developed at various places maintained by trained & friendly counsellors assuring confidentiality without being moralizing.

(v) To educate the fertile couples & those in marriageable age group about birth control measures, pre-natal & post-natal care of mothers & child, importance of breast feeding for a few months, etc.

Reproductive health can be improved by giving knowledge about sex related matters, increasing number of medically assisted deliveries & giving better post-natal care to child as well as mother. These all leads to decreased maternal and infant mortality rate. Better detection & cure of sexually transmitted diseases & over all increasing medical facilities for all sex related problems will also help to improve reproductive health of the society