Plant Growth and

Development
Plant Growth: an irreversible change in the size of
a cell, organ or whole organism.
Plant Development: the orderly and progressive
change from seed germination through juvenility,
maturity, flowering and fruiting.
Morphogenesis - Morphological and anatomical
development.
Differentiation - Physiological and biochemical
specialization of plant tissues. OR. Cells taking on
specialized form and function.

Metabolism: Synthesis and degradation of organic

compounds
a) Anabolism - synthesis
b) Catabolism - degradation
 Plant growth
1- Seed

5- Fruiting 2- Seedling

Plant Life Cycle

4- Flowering 3- Mature plants

Seeds Start it All

• Seed contain embryos

that form into new plants.
• Seeds can stay dormant
for 1000’s years.
• Favourable conditions or
damage to a seed coat
make it start growing.
 Some seeds
• Need light exposure • Damage to seed
coat through….
• Soil moisture
⁍ Fire
• Perfect temperature ⁍ Passing through the
• Or any environmental digestive tract of
change that can animals
spark rapid growth ⁍ Falling on a rock
⁍ Once the damage is
done the seed must
fill up with enough
water and oxygen to
grow
Monocot vs. dicot seed growth
 Seed parts
Monocot Dicot
1. Seed coat for 1. Seed coat (protect)
protection 2. Radicle (root)
2. Radicle is the 3. Hypocotyl (stem)
embryonic root 4. Epicotyl (leaf)
3. Plumule is the 5. 2 cotyledons (seed
embryonic leaf leaves for primary
nutrients to embryo)
4. Endospermis nutrition
6. Endosperm matured
5. 1 cotyledon (seed leaf) into cotyledons
Flower parts
► Petals attract pollinators
► Sepal protects the flower
► Stamen is the male
reproductive organ
► Filament holds anther
which contains pollen
► Pistil is female organ that
has stigma to catch pollen
to send down pollen tube
to ovary (ovule)
Fertilization of seedless plants
Zygote develops into sporophyte
Spores develop into gametophytes
Antheridia (male)
Archegonia (female)
Male swim to female
Zygote is formed
Fertilization of Flowering Plants
Pollen (male) from the anther (gametophyte)
Ovule (female) from the ovary (gametophyte)
Pollination = zygote
Zygote = seed
Flower becomes a fruit.
 Growing without seeds
§ It’s called vegetative reproduction and
occurs with roots, stems or leaves.
§ Helps allow plants to cover areas faster
§ 100’s and 1000’s from one single plant
– Examples include: bulb (onion), Rhizome
(Fern), Tuber (potato)
 Development
(1) How is a seed formed?

Male and Female Gametophyte

h

Male
Gametophyte – anther
Gamete – two sperm cells (in pollen grain or tube)

Female
Gametophyte – embryo sac
Gamete – egg
 Pollen Development

Pollen mother cell (Microsporocyte)

(2n)
‘diploid’
Nucleus of
Meiosis vegetative cell

Generative cell

Tetrad (n) Free microspores Mature pollen

(n) (n)
‘haploid’
(2) How does a seed become a seedling?

Water Uptake: the first event in germination

Dry seeds Imbibed seeds

Events Occur during Seed Germination

Bewley, Plant Cell

(3) How is shoot formed?
Formation of shoot apical meristem (SAM)

Taiz and Zeiger, Plant Physiology

Leaf Anatomy

Taiz and Zeiger, Plant Physiology

 (4) How is root formed?

Root Systems

• Taproot system: characterized • Fibrous root system:

by having one main root (the
taproot) from which smaller
branch roots emerge.
• When a seed germinates, the
first root to emerge is the radicle
or primary root.
• In conifers and most dicots, this
radicle develops into the
taproot.
characterized by having a mass of
similarly sized roots.
• The radicle from a germinating seed
is short lived and is replaced by
adventitious roots.
• Adventitious roots are roots that form
on plant organs other than roots.
Most monocots have fibrous root
systems.
 Root System development
Root tip has 4 developmental zones
1. Root cap: Protects RAM and
push.
2. Meristematic zone: Primary root.
3. Elongation zone: Rapid cell
elongation, rate of division
decreases with distance from
meristem.
4. Maturation zone: Cells get their
mature differentiated features.

Branch roots arise from non

growing region
• Cells of the root epidermis develop projections called root
hairs. These elongate by “tip growth” and increase
surface area for water and mineral uptake.
• Root hairs are found away from the root tip, in the region
of maturation.
Note that the root hair develops as
an outgrowth from individual
epidermal cells.

The Figure shows (bottom to top)

four stages of root hair
development:
1) cell specification,
2) root hair initiation,
3) tip growth, and
4) maturation.
 (5) How is a flower formed?
Cues for flower evocation
Flower Evocation: The events occurring in the shoot
apex that specifically commit the apical meristem to
produce flowers.
Internal factors
Phase change
Hormones

External factors
Light
Temperature
Total light radiation
Water availability
Three Types of Genes Control Floral
Identify
1. Gene A activity controls the first and second whorls

2. Gene B activity controls the second and third whorls

3. Gene C activity controls the third and fourth whorls.

QUESTION

THE END
 QUIZ
5 marks