Republic of the Philippines
President Ramon Magsaysay State University
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological
University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Tel/Fax No.: (047) 811-1683
College/Department College
COLLEGE OF ARTS of AND
Agriculture and Forestry
SCIENCES
Course Code Bot-1
Course Title Botany (Laboratory)
Place of the Course in the Program Fundamental Course
Semester & Academic Year First Semester, AY 2020-2021
Laboratory Module 8
The Seed
Introduction
There are two overarching categories of seeds: dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous.
Seeds are placed into these categories based on how many embryonic leaves they have. Embryonic
leaves are the leaves inside the unsprouted seed. Within these seed categories can be albuminous or
exalbuminous, depending on the method of food storage the seed uses.
The vast majority of plants reproduce using seeds. In this lesson, you'll learn about the major
categories of seeds and look at some examples of each type.
Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, the student should be able to:
1. Identify the different structures of a seed;
2. Learn the importance of the seeds;
3. Learn the difference between hypocotyl and epicotyl; and
4. Identify their dispersal agents of seed/fruit according to the structural modification of the
fruit.
Discussion
Seed is a ripened or a matured ovule. It is the plant reproductive entity consisting of an
embryo and stored food enclosed in a seed coat.
*An ovule contains the egg cell. In angiosperm, the ovule is borne in the ovary of the flower
while in gymnosperms, the ovules are exposed.
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Seed has the following parts: the seed coat, the embryo and the endosperm, the seed coat is a
tough, protective coat that encloses the embryo (a plant in early stage of development) and the
endosperm. Endosperm is a nutritive material in the seeds.
A bean seed has the following structures:
a. Pod – a fruit of the bean plant which contains the seed
b. Hilum – a large, ova scar where the seeds broke from funiculus or when the beans are
harvested
c. Functions – a stalk of the ovule
d. Microphyle – a small opening in the seed coat at one side of the hilum
e. Raphe – a ridge at the side of the hilum opposite the microphyle
f. Integument – external layer of the ovule that later develop into a seed coat
Importance of the Seeds
1. Primary dispersal agents of plants;
2. Means of propagation since some plants cannot be propagated by other means;
3. With commercial importance for they serve as food for man and feeds for animals;
4. Industrially important(I.e. coconut seed for soap, cooking oil and cosmetics, African oil
palm seed for fuel and oil source);
5. Important in the field of medicine(castor beans as Castrol oil, coconut oil as massaging oil,
beetlenut seed for teeth and gum protection and as a dewormer, and ipil-ipil seeds as
dewormer);
6. Serves as condiment or spices (black pepper), as beverage as in coffee and cacao; and
7. For arts and aesthetic purposes.
Development of a Flowering Plant
Once the egg cell within the ovary of the plant is fertilized by the sperm nucleus from a
pollen grains, it will form a zygote will undergo a series of mitotic division and develop into a tiny
embryo.
The embryo, together with the endosperm becomes enclosed in a seed coat. This composite
structure is called seed.
Germination of the Seed
Germination begins with the massive absorption of water by the seeds, increasing its
volume. Water uptake will increase the metabolic rate and the cell size resulting to the bursting out
of the seed coat of the growing embryo. Later on, it will assume the characteristic form of the plant,
with shoots and roots.
Hypocotyl with the attached radicle is the first part of the embryo the radicle will form seed.
It will turn downward whatever is the orientation of the seed. The radicle will form the young root
system. The epicotyl will also begin its development.
Once they were exposed to sunlight, the hypocotyl straights out (in some dicots), cotyledons
and epicotyl are pulled out from soil. Epicotyl will begin to elongate and this will become the entire
shoot system.
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A fully developed plant embryo does not possess all the organs of an adult plant. They will
to continue to develop the other organs throughout their life. It should be noted that in other dicots,
cotyledons never raised above the ground.
*If the height of the plant is plotted against the age of the plant, an S-shaped growth curve
will be obtained showing the lag phase, log phase, stationary phase, and senescence.
Terminologies:
• Hypocotyl - a part of the embryo found below the point of attachment of the
cotyledon
• Epicotyl - a region of shoot above the point of attachment of the cotyledon; bears the
first foliage leaf
• Radicle - form at the lower end of the embryo that will late develop into a primary
root
• Cotyledon or seed leaf - storage part of the plant embryo
Activity
I. Materials:
Vigna radiata seeds
Zea mays seeds
Search the internet for photos of different types of seed.
Procedure:
1. Observe the morphology of the Vigna radiata and Zea mays. Note the difference of monocot
and dicot seeds.
2. Search the internet for a germinated Cocos nucifers, note your observations
3. Search the internet for a germinated seed of V. radiata and Z. mays and label the parts of each
germinated seed type.
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Name: ____________________________ Score: _____
Course and Year: ___________________
Worksheet No. 8
THE SEED
A. Gross Morphology of the Seed
Figure 1. Parts of Mung bean Figure 2. Parts of Corn (Zea mays) Seed
(Vigna radiata) Seed
1.) Distinguish monocots and dicots based on the number of cotyledons.
Monocot Dicot
2.) Characterize the aleurone layer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Figure 3. Parts of germinated coconut (Cocos nucifera)
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Observation/s:
________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
B. The Embryo
Figure 4. The embryo of Mung bean (Vigna radiate) and its parts
Figure 5. Longitudinal section of Corn (Zea mays) embryo
.
C. Fruit and Seed Dispersal
Plant Species Structural Modifications Natural Dispersing Agent
a. Narra Winged pericarp
b. Cogon Hairy appendage
c. Amorseco Awns and barbs
d. Coconut Fibrous pericarp
e. Mahogany Winged seeds
f. Mung bean (Monggo) Dehiscent pericarp
g. Guava Edible pericarp
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Exercises
I. Identify the parts of the seed in the illustration and which is a monocot or a dicot:
__________________________________ ___________________________________
Reflection
1. What is the difference between the hypocotyl and epicotyl?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. Why do seeds need the testa?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. Why do seeds have cotyledons?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
4. What initiates germination in seeds? What is seed dormancy?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
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Suggested Readings
1. "Seed and Seed Quality." NC State Extension Publications | Browse Popular Publications.
Accessed August 13, 2020. [Link]
2. "Seeds: Definition & Types." [Link]. Accessed August 13, 2020.
[Link]
3. Welcome to UCD Plant Biology. Accessed August 13, 2020. [Link]
[Link]/courses/bis/1c/text/[Link].
Resources and Additional Resources
1. "Fruit | Description, Types, Importance, & Dispersal." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed
August 13, 2020. [Link]
2. "Seeds: Definition & Types." [Link]. Accessed August 13, 2020.
[Link]
3. "Fruit and Seed Dispersal." [Link]. Accessed August 13, 2020.
[Link]
ral_Biology_(Boundless)/32%3A_Plant_Reproductive_Development_and_Structure/32.2%
3A_Pollination_and_Fertilization/32.2G%3A_Fruit_and_Seed_Dispersal#:~:text=Seeds%2
0dispersed%20by%20water%20are,attach%20themselves%20to%20animals'%20fur.
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