Triploid plant?

Question

What the heck is a triploid plant?

Answer 1

Polyploidy is the condition of some biological cells and organisms of containing more than two homologous sets of chromosomes. Polyploid types are termed according to the number of chromosome sets in the nucleus: triploid (three sets; 3n), tetraploid (four sets; 4n), pentaploid (five sets; 5n), hexaploid (six sets; 6n) and so on.

A haploid (n) only has one set of chromosomes. Haploidy may also occur as a normal stage in an organism's life cycle as in ferns and fungi. In some instances not all the chromosomes are duplicated and the condition is called aneuploidy. Where an organism is normally diploid, some spontaneous aberrations may occur which are usually caused by a hampered cell division.

Polyploidy occurs in some animals, such as goldfish, salmon, and salamanders, but is especially common among ferns and flowering plants, including both wild and cultivated species. Wheat, for example, after millennia of hybridization and modification by humans, has strains that are diploid (two sets of chromosomes), tetraploid (four sets of chromosomes) with the common name of durum or macaroni wheat, and hexaploid (six sets of chromosomes) with the common name of bread wheat. Many agriculturally important plants of the genus Brassica are also tetraploids.


Triploid crops: banana, apple, ginger

Tetraploid crops: durum or macaroni wheat, maize, cotton, potato, cabbage, leek, tobacco, peanut, Pelargonium

Hexaploid crops: chrysanthemum, bread wheat, triticale, oat

Octaploid crops: strawberry, dahlia, pansies, sugar cane

Some crops are found in a variety of ploidy. Apples, tulips and lilies are commonly found as both diploid and as triploid. Daylilies (Hemerocallis) cultivars are available as either diploid or tetraploid.

Answer 2

Triploid Plant

Answer 3

Triploid-- three sets of chromosomes. Polyploidy is when you have more than two sets of chromosomes. You can treat cells undergoing meiosis so that the chromosomes do not separate properly, and ultimately end up with cells with extra sets of chromosomes. In animal cells, this is deterimental, resulting in nonviable gamete or zygote, but in plants, it's quite common. Some plants have crazy number of chromosomes (there is some fern that has over 1200), probably a result of polyploidy in evolutionary history.

Polyploidy can result in large plants/fruits/flowers, there has been deliberate creation of polyploid plants to get bigger fruits and flowers, such as in strawberries and marigold flowers.

Answer 4

Haploid means 1 set of chromosomes
Diploid means 2 sets of chromosomes
Triploid means 3 sets of chromosomes

This probably results from an error in metaphase of cell division. The spindle fibers attach and pull too many of the chromosomes.