Difference between revisions of "Seed" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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[[Image:Macro 1 bg 122703.jpg|thumb|A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds]]
 
[[Image:Macro 1 bg 122703.jpg|thumb|A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds]]
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A '''seed''' is the ripened [[ovule]] of [[gymnosperm]] or [[angiosperm]] [[plant]]s. The importance of the seed relative to more primitive forms of reproduction and dispersal is attested to by the success of these two groups of plants in dominating the landscape.  
 
A '''seed''' is the ripened [[ovule]] of [[gymnosperm]] or [[angiosperm]] [[plant]]s. The importance of the seed relative to more primitive forms of reproduction and dispersal is attested to by the success of these two groups of plants in dominating the landscape.  
  
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[[Image:Salix scouleriana.seed.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Seed of Scouler's Willow (''Salix scouleriana'')]]
 
[[Image:Salix scouleriana.seed.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Seed of Scouler's Willow (''Salix scouleriana'')]]
  
See also: [[Hypocotyl]]
 
  
 
The '''seed coat''' develops from tissues (called ''integument'') originally surrounding the ovule. The seed coat in the mature seed can be a paper-thin layer (as for example, in the [[peanut]]) or something more substantial (as for example, thick and hard in [[honey locust]] and [[coconut]]). The seed coat helps protect the [[embryo]] from mechanical injury and from drying out.  In order for the seed coat to split, the embryo must imbibe (soak up water), which causes it to swell, splitting the seed coat. However, the nature of the seed coat determines how rapidly water can penetrate and subsequently initiate [[germination]]. For seeds with a very thick coat, scarification of the seed coat may be necessary before water can reach the embryo. Examples of scarification include: gnawing by animals, freezing and thawing, battering on rocks in a stream bed, or passing through an animal's digestive tract. In the latter case, the seed coat protects the seed from [[digestion]], while perhaps weakening the seed coat such that the embryo is ready to sprout when it gets deposited (along with a bit of fertilizer) far from the parent plant. In species with thin seed coats, [[light]] may be able to penetrate into the dormant embryo. The presence of light or the absence of light may trigger the germination process, inhibiting germination in some seeds buried too deeply or in others not buried in the soil. [[Abscisic acid]] is usually the growth inhibitor in seeds.
 
The '''seed coat''' develops from tissues (called ''integument'') originally surrounding the ovule. The seed coat in the mature seed can be a paper-thin layer (as for example, in the [[peanut]]) or something more substantial (as for example, thick and hard in [[honey locust]] and [[coconut]]). The seed coat helps protect the [[embryo]] from mechanical injury and from drying out.  In order for the seed coat to split, the embryo must imbibe (soak up water), which causes it to swell, splitting the seed coat. However, the nature of the seed coat determines how rapidly water can penetrate and subsequently initiate [[germination]]. For seeds with a very thick coat, scarification of the seed coat may be necessary before water can reach the embryo. Examples of scarification include: gnawing by animals, freezing and thawing, battering on rocks in a stream bed, or passing through an animal's digestive tract. In the latter case, the seed coat protects the seed from [[digestion]], while perhaps weakening the seed coat such that the embryo is ready to sprout when it gets deposited (along with a bit of fertilizer) far from the parent plant. In species with thin seed coats, [[light]] may be able to penetrate into the dormant embryo. The presence of light or the absence of light may trigger the germination process, inhibiting germination in some seeds buried too deeply or in others not buried in the soil. [[Abscisic acid]] is usually the growth inhibitor in seeds.
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There is a persistent myth that seeds from [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] tombs with ages of over 3000 years were viable [http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq11603mummywheat.html]. The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalise on European [[Egyptomania]] of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the [[British Museum]]'s director of Egyptian antiquities, Wallis Budge. Wallis provided genuine 3,000 year old tomb-seeds to the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] to plant under controlled conditions.  The test resulted in none germinating.
 
There is a persistent myth that seeds from [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] tombs with ages of over 3000 years were viable [http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq11603mummywheat.html]. The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalise on European [[Egyptomania]] of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the [[British Museum]]'s director of Egyptian antiquities, Wallis Budge. Wallis provided genuine 3,000 year old tomb-seeds to the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] to plant under controlled conditions.  The test resulted in none germinating.
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==Hypocotyl==
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'''Hypocotyl''' is a [[Botany|botanical]] term for a part of a [[germination|germinating]] '''seedling''' of a [[seed]] [[plant]]. As the plant [[embryo]] grows at germination, it sends out a shoot called a '''''[[radicle]]''''' that becomes the primary root and penetrates down into the [[soil]]. After emergence of the ''radicle'', the ''hypocotyl'' emerges and lifts the growing tip (usually including the seed coat) above the ground, bearing the embryonic leaves (called '''''[[cotyledon]]s''''') and the '''''plumule''''' that gives rise to the first true leaves.  The ''hypocotyle'' is the primary organ of extension of the young plant and develops into the [[Plant stem|stem]].
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The early development of a [[monocotyledon|monocot]] seedling like [[cereal]]s and other [[Poaceae|grasses]] is somewhat different.  A structure called the [[coleoptile]], essentially a part of the ''cotyledon'', protects the young stem and plumule as growth pushes them up through the soil.  A '''''mesocotyl''''' — that part of the young plant that lies between the seed (which remains buried) and the ''plumule'' — extends the shoot up to the soil surface, where secondary roots develop from just beneath the plumule. The primary root from the ''radicle'' may then fail to develop further. The ''mesocotyl'' is considered to be partly ''hypocotyl'' and partly ''cotyledon'' (see '''''[[seed|scutellum]]''''').
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Not all monocots develop like the grasses. The [[onion]] develops in a manner similar to the first sequence described above, the seed coat and '''''endosperm''''' (stored food reserve) pulled upwards as the cotyledon extends. Later, the first true leaf grows from the node between the radicle and the sheath-like cotyledon, breaking through the cotyledon to grow past it.
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In some plants, the hypocotyl becomes enlarged as a [[storage organ]].  Examples include [[cyclamen]] and [[gloxinia]].
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== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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* [http://theseedsite.co.uk/ The Seed Site]: collecting, storing, sowing, germinating, and exchanging seeds, with pictures of seeds, seedpods and seedlings.
 
* [http://theseedsite.co.uk/ The Seed Site]: collecting, storing, sowing, germinating, and exchanging seeds, with pictures of seeds, seedpods and seedlings.
  
{{credit|50398542}}
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{{credit2|Seed|50398542|Hypocotyl|48004112}}
  
  

Revision as of 23:44, 13 May 2006

File:Macro 1 bg 122703.jpg
A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds

A seed is the ripened ovule of gymnosperm or angiosperm plants. The importance of the seed relative to more primitive forms of reproduction and dispersal is attested to by the success of these two groups of plants in dominating the landscape.

Seed structure

A fertilized seed contains the embryo from which a new plant will grow under proper conditions. It also contains a supply of stored food and is wrapped in the seed coat or testa. The stored food begins as a tissue called endosperm derived from the parent plant. Endosperm becomes rich in oil or starch, and protein. In some species, the embryo is imbedded in the endosperm, which the seedling will use upon germination. In others, the endosperm is absorbed by the embryo as the latter grows within the developing seed, and the cotyledons of the embryo become filled with this stored food. At maturity, seeds of these species have no endosperm. Some common plant seeds that lack an endosperm are bean, pea, oak, walnut, squash, sunflower, and radish. Plant seeds with an endosperm include all conifers and most monocotyledons (e.g., grasses and palms), and also e.g., brazil nut, castor bean.

Seed of Scouler's Willow (Salix scouleriana)


The seed coat develops from tissues (called integument) originally surrounding the ovule. The seed coat in the mature seed can be a paper-thin layer (as for example, in the peanut) or something more substantial (as for example, thick and hard in honey locust and coconut). The seed coat helps protect the embryo from mechanical injury and from drying out. In order for the seed coat to split, the embryo must imbibe (soak up water), which causes it to swell, splitting the seed coat. However, the nature of the seed coat determines how rapidly water can penetrate and subsequently initiate germination. For seeds with a very thick coat, scarification of the seed coat may be necessary before water can reach the embryo. Examples of scarification include: gnawing by animals, freezing and thawing, battering on rocks in a stream bed, or passing through an animal's digestive tract. In the latter case, the seed coat protects the seed from digestion, while perhaps weakening the seed coat such that the embryo is ready to sprout when it gets deposited (along with a bit of fertilizer) far from the parent plant. In species with thin seed coats, light may be able to penetrate into the dormant embryo. The presence of light or the absence of light may trigger the germination process, inhibiting germination in some seeds buried too deeply or in others not buried in the soil. Abscisic acid is usually the growth inhibitor in seeds.

The seeds of angiosperms are contained in a hard or fleshy (or with layers of both) structure called a fruit. Gymnosperm seeds begin their development "naked" on the bracts of cones, although the seeds do become covered by the cone scales as they develop. An example of a hard fruit layer surrounding the actual seed is that of the so-called stone fruits (such as the peach).

Seed functions

Unlike animals, plants are limited in their ability to seek out favorable conditions for life and growth. As a consequence, plants have evolved many ways to disperse and spread the population through their seeds (see also vegetative reproduction). A seed must somehow "arrive" at a location and be there at a time favorable for germination and growth. Those properties or attributes that promote the movement of the next generation away from the parent plant may involve the fruit more so than the seeds themselves. The function of a seed is one of serving as a delaying mechanism: a way for the new generation to suspend its growth and allow time for dispersal to occur or to survive harsh, unfavorable conditions of cold or dryness, or both. In many, if not most cases, each plant species achieves success in finding ideal locations for placement of its seeds through the basic approach of producing numerous seeds. This is certainly the approach used by plants, such as ferns, which disperse by spores. However, seeds involve a considerably greater investment in energy and resources than do spores, and the payoff must come in achieving similar or greater success with fewer dispersal units.

Oldest viable seed

The oldest Carbon-14 dated seed that was germinated into a viable plant was a ~2,000 year old Date Palm seed, recovered from excavations at Herod the Great's palace on Masada in Israel; this Judean date palm seed was germinated in 2005.

There is a persistent myth that seeds from Egyptian tombs with ages of over 3000 years were viable [1]. The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalise on European Egyptomania of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the British Museum's director of Egyptian antiquities, Wallis Budge. Wallis provided genuine 3,000 year old tomb-seeds to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to plant under controlled conditions. The test resulted in none germinating.

Hypocotyl

Hypocotyl is a botanical term for a part of a germinating seedling of a seed plant. As the plant embryo grows at germination, it sends out a shoot called a radicle that becomes the primary root and penetrates down into the soil. After emergence of the radicle, the hypocotyl emerges and lifts the growing tip (usually including the seed coat) above the ground, bearing the embryonic leaves (called cotyledons) and the plumule that gives rise to the first true leaves. The hypocotyle is the primary organ of extension of the young plant and develops into the stem.

The early development of a monocot seedling like cereals and other grasses is somewhat different. A structure called the coleoptile, essentially a part of the cotyledon, protects the young stem and plumule as growth pushes them up through the soil. A mesocotyl — that part of the young plant that lies between the seed (which remains buried) and the plumule — extends the shoot up to the soil surface, where secondary roots develop from just beneath the plumule. The primary root from the radicle may then fail to develop further. The mesocotyl is considered to be partly hypocotyl and partly cotyledon (see scutellum).

Not all monocots develop like the grasses. The onion develops in a manner similar to the first sequence described above, the seed coat and endosperm (stored food reserve) pulled upwards as the cotyledon extends. Later, the first true leaf grows from the node between the radicle and the sheath-like cotyledon, breaking through the cotyledon to grow past it.

In some plants, the hypocotyl becomes enlarged as a storage organ. Examples include cyclamen and gloxinia.


See also

  • Biological dispersal
  • Stratification
  • Germination
  • Seed company

External links

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