#pollination

• Autoallogamy — A specialized biological term defining the adaptive capacity or phenomenon whereby a plant species structurally combines autogamy (self-pollination) with allogamy (cross-pollination); a flexible reproductive strategy allowing plants to resort to fertilization with own pollen in the absence of external pollination vectors, while maintaining cross-breeding capabilities.
• To self-fertilize — To self-fertilize; to achieve the fertilization of one's own female cells or ovules using one's own pollen or spermatozoa. This phenomenon is characteristic of hermaphroditic organisms, such as most higher plants and certain invertebrate species, allowing reproduction in the absence of a mating partner.
• Self-fertilized — Regarding plants, flowers, or hermaphroditic organisms: self-fertilized, self-pollinated; having been fertilized with its own pollen or reproductive elements without genetic material from another individual. In a technical sense, it describes the state of an ovule or seed resulting from autogamy, forming the basis of pure lines in artificial selection.
• Self-fertile — Regarding plants, fruit tree varieties, or agricultural crops: self-fertile, self-compatible; capable of producing viable fruits and seeds through self-pollination, without requiring pollen from another individual or a different variety. In fruit growing, self-fertile varieties are highly valuable as they guarantee stable yields even when pollinator activity is low.
• Self-fertility — The intrinsic capacity of a plant, variety, or hermaphroditic organism to produce viable fruits, seeds, or offspring through self-pollination or self-fertilization, without external genetic input. In agricultural sciences, it represents a genetic trait of great economic importance, ensuring constant crop productivity regardless of climatic conditions or the absence of pollination vectors.
• Autogamous — Reproducing through autogamy; a botanical and biological term describing an organism, specifically a plant or flower, whose male reproductive structures fertilize its own female reproductive structures. This genetic phenomenon ensures the perpetuation of the species in isolated environments where external pollinators or wind vectors are absent, leading to a high degree of homozygosity within those populations.
• Autogamy — A mode of reproduction characteristic of certain plants and lower organisms, consisting of self-fertilization or self-pollination, a process whereby the fusion of gametes originates from the same individual. This evolutionary biological mechanism guarantees the genetic stability of the species and its perpetuation in isolated or harsh habitats, eliminating structural reliance on external factors such as pollinating insects, wind, or water, although it limits long-term genetic diversity and recombination.
• Autohomogamy — A biological phenomenon and reproductive mechanism found in certain plant species or lower organisms, characterized by the simultaneous maturation of male and female sexual organs (androecium and gynoecium) within the same flower or individual, directly facilitating mandatory self-fertilization. This strict temporal correlation guarantees reproductive success in isolated environments but severely limits the genetic diversity of the offspring.
• Self-pollination — A biological reproductive process in spermatophyte plants, characterized by the transfer of pollen grains from the anthers to the stigma of the same flower (autogamy) or of another flower belonging to the same individual (geitonogamy). This endogenous structural mechanism ensures fertilization in the absence of external pollination vectors, but limits the genetic variability of the offspring by increasing homozygosity.
• Self-sterility — A congenital physiological or genetic incompatibility of certain hermaphroditic plants or animals to achieve fertilization through the union of their own gametes (self-fertilization), although these gametes are fully viable and functional when combined with those of other individuals. This structural adaptive mechanism prevents inbreeding and forces cross-pollination, ensuring the genetic variability and biological vigor of the species' offspring.