fertilization

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act or process of rendering fertile.
2. (countable, uncountable)The act of fecundating or impregnating the gametes of animals, plants, etc.; including the process by which in flowers the pollen renders the ovule fertile, an analogous process in flowerless plants, or the joining of sperm and egg in animals.

   “In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.”

3. (countable, uncountable)The act of applying fertilizer to soil.