Written Report, Morphoanatomy of Fruits and Seeds

II. Morphoanatomy of Seeds D. Seed Germination After fertilization and development, the embryo usually stops growing called the period of dormancy. It begins to grow again when the seed germinates. Internal Factors=changes in the amount of hormones like abscisic acid* or other inhibitory chemicals, amount of stored food, viability *Abscisic Acid (ABA) - A plant hormone associated with inhibition of growth and seed dormancy in many plants External Factors= water, temperature, light, food supply, soil acidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide 1. Water Requirement -The most common stimulus on breaking dormancy is water. -A seed that absorbs water expands and burst its seed coat. -Seeds will germinate only when there is enough water -Seeds of rice and other aquatic or semiaquatic plants germinate only in soil that is submerged in water. 2. Temperature Requirement -The optimum temperature for germination: close to room temperature (25 C).

By: France Louie Jutiz

Written Report, Morphoanatomy of Fruits and Seeds

-Germination can occur at temperatures as low as 0 C and as high as 45 C in different species. -In the process of stratification, the seeds of apple trees and most pines can be artificially induced to germinate by wetting them and placing them in a refrigerator. 3. Light Requirement -Not all seeds are affected of light. -The seeds of birch, certain grasses, and some varieties of lettuce require light for germination. -The seeds of other plants, such as geraniums and poppies, will germinate only in the dark. 4. Special Requirements -Many legumes contain seeds with hard seed coats, and the seeds of some drupes are surrounded by a tightly sealed endocarp. -Seeds with thick covering will germinate only after the seed coat is scratched or cracked, or briefly soaked in concentric acid. Such treatments are called scarification. E. Seedling Development -The first part of the embryo to emerge from the seed during germination is the radicle.

By: France Louie Jutiz

Written Report, Morphoanatomy of Fruits and Seeds

-Seedling development varies depending on the function of the endosperm and the location of the greatest meristematic activity in the embryo. -Faster growth in the hypocotyls pushes the shoot and cotyledons through the soil surface. Aboveground cotyledons become green and photosynthetic as in the garden bean. (Epistogeal germination) -Faster growth at the shoot apex keeps the cotyledons belowground as in the garden pea. The cotyledons of garden pea quickly shrivel as they used up by the seedling. (Hypogeal germination) -Grasses have the most complex seedling development. The shoot apex grows out of the kernel through the tube-like coleoptile, and the root apex grows through the tube-like coleorhiza. - Cleistogeal Germination: A special leaf that has a central umbrella like stalk forms above the ground which protects the shoot from any damage. So the development of the shoot cannot be seen (i.e. Combretum collinum seed)

By: France Louie Jutiz

Written Report, Morphoanatomy of Fruits and Seeds

By: France Louie Jutiz