Parthenocarpy is fruit development without fertilization. Because no fertilized ovule is needed to initiate the fruit, it can produce a seedless fruit. It is distinct from apomixis, which produces an embryo or seed without the usual sexual process: a seedless fruit and an asexually formed seed solve different biological problems.
In tomato, increased auxin or gibberellin signalling can trigger parthenocarpy. Experiments with single and combined mutations affecting the two signalling systems separated the growth programme of the ovary from the usual requirement for fertilization. This makes parthenocarpy a useful test of how reproductive development is initiated.[ref]
The Interaction between DELLA and ARF/IAA Mediates Crosstalk between Gibberellin and Auxin Signaling to Control Fruit Initiation in Tomato by Jianhong Hu and others. 2018, abstract and mutant analysis: additive effects on parthenocarpy
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