The Germination of a Seed
BY: VALI ASIGAU
Germination of a seed has five main stages.
Date Submitted: 26/05/22 Science | Year 8
Germination Process of a Seed
Stage one: First, it starts off with imbibition. Imbibition happens when a
substance is absorbed by the uptake of water. This happens when water is
absorbed from the seed. This causes an increase of the volume of the seed. It also
aids the flow of water to the ovules which help it mature into a seed. When it has
taken enough water, it will burst until the coat splits apart allowing air to come in
and burn all the nutrients packed inside the shell.
Stage two: Then, seed respiration occurs. Seeds can’t breathe like mammals which
means they have to respire at a cellular level. In cellular respiration, seeds use
stored sugars, water, and oxygen to burn energy at a cellular level to help the seed
to germinate or sprout. A tiny root starts to grow while a shoot grows upwards.
This eventually grows into a plant.
Stage three: Light also influences seed germination. Studies have shown that
small seeds germinate better in sunlight than in darkness. Light does become vital
after germination because the initial sprout does need a light source to survive.
Stage four: Germination is followed by mobilization of food reserves from the
seeds storage organs or endosperms to stimulate the growth of a seed until it
becomes photoautotrophic. This means that the seed is ready to undergo the
process of photosynthesis. According to https://coastalwiki.org, using energy from
sunlight, carbon dioxide and water are converted into organic materials to be used
in cellular functions such as biosynthesis and respiration.
Stage Five: Other than nutrients, PGRs or Plant Growth Regulators are used to
modify plant growth. It can increase branching suppressing shoot growth,
increasing return bloom, removing excess fruit, or altering fruit maturity.
According to https://bio.libretext.org , the embryonic axis consists of three parts:
the plumule, the radicle, and the hypocotyl. The portion of the embryo between
the cotyledon attachment point and the radicle is known as the hypocotyl. The
embryonic axis terminates in a radicle, which is the region from which the root
will develop. Finally, the embryo axis divides the plant into regions with the help
of the embryo axis region. The region as it mature turns into the stem. A eudicot
embryo consists of an embryo axis attached by two cotyledons and in monocots
attached by a single cotyledon.
Recommendations
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Germination Process of a Seed
I would recommend you keep your seedling in a moist and sunny environment so
the seedling can grow and stay healthy. The average soil temperature a seed needs
to grow is between twenty to thirty Degrees Celsius. It also needs optimal amounts
of water, sunlight, oxygen, and temperature. Some seeds full sunlight others need
less, and some even germinate in the dark.
Conclusion
Those are the five main stages of the germination of a seed. All these stages are
very important and are extremely vital to helping the seed grow and stay healthy.
If you want a successful Germination of a seed, I suggest you follow the
recommendations.
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Germination Process of a Seed
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