Seed

A seed is a matured ovule.

Parts of a Seed

 Embryo - the young plant within

the seed consisting of:
Epicotyl- leaf
Hypocotyl - stem
Radicle - root
Endosperm - food reserve derived
from fertilized polar nuclei.
Cotyledons - serve as food for the sprouting plant.
 Seed coat - a structure derived from the wall of the ovule to protect the inner
parts.
Hilum - the funicular scar on the seed coat.
Micropyle - a hole through the seed coat.

Seed structure
Seeds vary greatly in size. They can be as small as those of orchids (about two
million seeds per gram) or as large as those of coconut. In many plants, the seeds
are so peculiar that it helps in identification of a species
Dicotyledon and Monocotyledon Seeds
On the basis of number of cotyledons in the seed, angiosperms have been
divided into two groups:
1. Monocotyledons having embryo with one cotyledon only, eg. maize, rice,
wheat and onion.
2. Dicotyledons having embryo with two cotyledons, eg. pea, gram, bean
and castor.
Structure of gram seed
Gram seed may be taken as an example for study of the structure of a dicot
seed.
The gram seeds are brown in colour. They are pointed at one end and round at
the other end. These are contained in a small fruit called, the pod. The gram pod is
two or three-seeded. The seeds are attached to the wall of the pod by a stalk called
the funiculus. When the mature seed is detached, the funiculus leaves a scar on the
seed called the hilum. Just below the hilum lies the micropyle in the form of a
small pore. Water is absorbed through the micropyle during the germination of
seed. If the soaked seed is squeezed, water is seen to ooze out of the micropyle.
The seed is covered by the tough seed coat. The seed coat consists of two layers,
outer brownish testa and the papery white membranous tegmen.
The function of seed coat is protective. It protects the seed from desiccation,
mechanical injury and extremes of temperature. It also protects the seed from the
attack of bacteria, fungi and insects.
 On removing the seed coat, two massive and fleshy cotyledons are seen. The
two cotyledons are attached laterally to the embryonal axis. The embryonal axis
projects beyond the cotyledons on either side. The lower pointed end of the axis is
the radicle which represents the embryonic or rudimentary root. The other end is
feathery. It is called the plumule. It represents the first apical bud of the future
plant and develops into the shoot. The plumule is seen only after separating the
two cotyledons. The portion of the axis between radicle and the point of
attachment of the cotyledons to the axis is called the hypocotyl and the portion
between the plumule and the cotyledons is the epicotyl. The axis along with the
cotyledon constitute the embryo.
2. Structure of Maize Grain
The maize grain can be taken as an example of monocotyledon seed. The
maize grain is a small one-seeded fruit called the caryopsis. In maize grain the
seed coat (testa) is fused with the fruit wall (pericarp). Externally the maize grain
is yellow in colour and somewhat triangular in shape. On one side of the grain is a
small, opaque, oval and whitish area in which embryo lies embedded.
A longitudinal section of the seed shows the following structures:
1. Seed coat: It is formed of a thin layer surrounding the whole grain. This
layer is made up of seed-coat and pericarp, i.e fruit wall.
2. Endosperm: When internally examined, maize grain is found consisting of
two unequal portions divided by a layer called epithelium. The bigger portion, the
endosperm which is yellowish or whitish is the food storage tissue of the grain and
is rich in starch. But its outermost layer contains only protein and is called
aleurone layer. On the other side of the e n d o s p e r m towards the pointed end
lies an opaque body called embryo.
3. Embryo: It consists of one large and shield shaped cotyledon. This is also
known as scutellum in the case of maize and other cereals. The axis of the embryo
lies embedded in the scutellum. Axis consists of a plumule at the upper portion
and the radicle at the lower end. Both the radicle and the plumule are enclosed in
sheath. The sheath covering the plumule is known as coleoptile and that covering
the radicle is known as coleorhiza. The cone-shaped coleoptile has a pore at the
apex through which the first foilage leaf emerges during germination.

Types of Seed
Non-endospermic or ex-alubuminous seeds
In gram, pea and bean the cotyledons are thick and fleshy. They store food
material for these of embryo during its germination. Such seeds are known
nonendospermic or exalubuminous seeds.
Endospermic or albuminous seeds
However, in seeds like castor, maize and other cereals, the cotyledons are thin
and membranous. In such seeds food is stored in the endosperm. Cotyledons act as
absorbing organs. They absorb food from the endosperm and supply it to the
growing embryo. Such seeds are known as endospermic or allbuminous seeds.
 Seed dispersal refers to the spreading of seeds away from the parent plant.

Besides reproduction, fruit and seeds are also the principal means of migration to
colonize new territory or find an environment permitting survival when local
conditions change unfavorably.

Dispersal of seeds in nature is accomplished in

many ways. Seeds can be dispersed by animals,
wind, water, etc. Animals involved range from
insects to birds; mammals to fish.

Modifications in the shape, structure, and color

of the fruit directly correspond to the ways in
which seeds are dispersed. Bright, fleshy berries
are commonly dispersed by fruit-eating birds.
Winged fruits, such as those found on maple
trees, have obvious modifications for wind
dispersal.

In some cases, plant parts such as sepals or bracts that surround the fruit, aid in
dispersal. In other cases, seeds themselves bear structures that promote dispersal
after the seed is released from the fruit. The term dispersal unit refers to any
detached plant part serving as a vehicle for seed dispersal.

Seed germination is the beginning of growth of the seed embryo.

Because of the limited size of the embryo and the limited food reserves that can be
stored in a typical seed, most seedlings are relatively frail. Yet they must be able to
withstand environmental hazards such as storms and temperature extremes, and
they must compete with older plants in order to become established.

Plants have evolved environmental responses in seeds, helping to assure that they
germinate under the most advantageous environmental conditions, and responses
in their seedlings helping them overcome some of the difficulties they often
encounter.

Germination begins with the physical uptake of water by the dry seed, called
imbibition (imbibe = to drink) followed by resumption of growth by the embryo.

Key Functions of Imbibition:

 hydration of embryo cells

 enzyme activation

Once germination requirements have been met, respiration begins in the rehydrated
cells, new cell wall materials are produced, and the plant embryo begins to grow.
Botanists are still debating whether cell expansion or cell division is responsible
for this growth.

Some seeds, such as willows, begin to germinate soon as they reach moist, warm
soil. Other seeds, such as wild oats, will not germinate when they are shed, but lose
their dormancy and become able to germinate after a limited time (usually a few
weeks). This is called afterripening.

Some seeds are dormant merely because they possess tough seed coats impervious
to water or oxygen or mechanically preventing growth of the embryo. After
dispersal in nature, exposure to the elements gradually breaks down and weakens
the seed coat, eventually permitting germination. This behavior tends to space out
seeds from the same year's crop, allowing the species to take advantage of chance
opportunities whenever they occur.

Other seeds show a self-imposed dormancy of the embryo itself, which can be
overcome by a specific environmental signal.

Some of the environmentals signals include:

 Cold temperature. These seeds require an extended exposure to

temperatures near freezing before they will germinate at temperatures
favorable to growth. This requirement, normally satisfied by the
temperatures of winter, ensures that the seeds will germinate only in spring,
with a whole growing season ahead of them.

 Exposure to light. Many small seeds require exposure to light before they
will germinate. This helps ensure that they will not germinate when buried
too deeply for the seedling shoot to reach the surface of the ground. The
germination of many weed seeds is light sensitive. When land is tilled, seeds
buried in the soil are brought to the surface, exposing them to light. This
enables weeds to reappear quickly.

 Dry heat. These seeds are adapted to colonizing ground that has been
opened up by forest or brush fires. They germinate only after exposure to the
heat from these fast moving fires.

 Heavy rainfall. Leaching-dependent seeds of desert annuals ensure that

germination will occur only after enough rain has fallen to permit seedlings
to complete their life cycle, even if it doesn't rain again that season.
Seed Viability

Seeds retain their ability to germinate for greatly varying lengths of time. The
seeds of some plants in the moist tropics are viable for only a few weeks, while
seeds of plants in dryer environments must possess greater longevity, waiting for
favorable conditions.

Because of persistent seed dormancy, many of the seeds shed each year do not
germinate in that or the next growing season, and some may not germinate for
many years, even though still viable. This builds up a seed bank in the soil whose
numbers often greatly exceed the number of growing plants in the area.

From 1000 to 5000 viable seeds per square meter of soil have been found under
various kinds of vegetation and 20,000 to 80,000 weed seeds per square meter of
crop land. This seed bank enables the regeneration of plant populations after
catastrophic events such as fire, flood, and drought. Similarly, weed seed banks in
agricultural soils ensure the continual regrowth of weeds despite efforts to control
them.