Seed Structure and Function

Doomsday Vault

- Houses the world’s most diverse collection of seeds, which acts as backup
when we face the challenge of climate change and human growth
Seeds
- Develops from the fertilized
ovule and includes the
embryo and endosperm
within a seed coat
- Contains the next generation
and completes the life cycle of a flowering plant.
- When mature, it consists of a dormant embryo surrounded by stored food
and protective layers.
- Forms after successful pollination
and double fertilization.
- Double fertilization yields a diploid
zygote (embryo) and a triploid
central nuclei (endosperm).
Endosperm Development
- Develops first before the embryo
- Central nuclei divides to form a multinucleate
“supercell” with a milky consistency.
- Nuclear Division not cellular division because there
are no cell walls that enclose the nuclei.
- Example is coconut

Monocot Endosperms
- Endosperm of grains such as wheat, corn, and
rice occupies the bulk of the kernel and its
main energy reserve for the development of a
young seedling.
- Monocot stores the bulk of its energy in the
endosperm.
Dicot Endosperms
- Most dicot seeds lack endosperms upon
maturity
- Food reserves of the endosperms are
transferred to the embryo.
- Stores its food in two cotyledons.

Seed Structure
1. Embryo – young plant
2. Endosperm – stored food for embryo
3. Seed Coat – encase the seed
4. Radicle – embryonic root
5. Epicotyl – embryonic shoot
6. Hypocotyl – junction between roots and
shoots
7. Cotyledon – seed leaf

Embryo Development
- Zygote undergoes mitotic division and give rise
to terminal and basal cell.
- Basal cell give rise to suspensor which attaches
to parent plant.
- Suspensor helps in transferring nutrients to the
embryo
- Terminal cell gives rise to most of the embryo
- Terminal cell divides several times and forms
into pro embryo.
- Cotyledons begin to form
- As the embryo elongates, shoot and root apex
appears.
Seed Dormancy
- A survival mechanism by which seeds can delay germination until the right
environmental conditions for seedling and growth development
Adaptation for Tough Times
- Seeds of desert plants germinate after heavy rainfall
- Some seeds require fire to break dormancy
- Seeds germinate after harsh winters
- Lettuce varieties break dormancy in shallow soil and ample sunlight
- Most seeds last for a year or two before germinating
Seed Germination
- Initiated by imbibition
- Imbibition causes the seed to expand and rupture its coat
- Enzymes digest stored food in
endosperm and/or cotyledons
- Nutrients are transferred to the
growing embryo
- Happens when seeds receive
appropriate conditions (enough
moisture, oxygen, appropriate
temperature)
- Young roots grown downward
in response to gravity
- Shoot produces its leaves as it
grows upward toward the light
- First leaves begin
photosynthesis
- Seeds that are buried too deep in the soil will not emerge.
Germination in Dicots
- The first organ to emerge is the radicle

- Hook forms in the hypocotyl, and growth

pushes the hook above ground

- Hypocotyl straightens, the cotyledons

separate, and the epicotyl spreads its first
true leaves

Germination in Monocots
- Shoot tips grows through the coleoptile
(sheath) once it has pushed through the
surface of the soil

- The cotyledon remains underground.

Does seed size matter?

Larger seeds are better able to support themselves initially, while smaller seeds
have a better chance for dispersal over a wide area, helping at least some seedlings
survive.
Summary:
• Seeds develop from ovule
• A seed consists of an embryo, an endosperm, and a seed coat
• The zygote undergoes a series of developmental stages to become an embryo
• Seed dormancy ensures survival of seeds
• Plant growth begins with seed germination
• Seed germination varies in monocots and dicots.