noun
- the process by which a plant fertilizes itself with its own pollen
Usage: botanical
verb
- present participle of self; fertilizing oneself (of a plant)
Usage: botanical
Examples
- Many tomato plants reproduce through selfing rather than cross-pollination.
- The researcher studied selfing rates in different flower varieties.
- Selfing can lead to reduced genetic diversity in plant populations.
- Some species avoid selfing by having separate male and female flowers.
- The plant was selfing successfully in the greenhouse environment.
- Botanists measured the frequency of selfing versus outcrossing in the field.