What are the Parts of the Seed? and its function

  • Seeds are the beginning of a new plant and have specific parts that facilitate its development.
  • The embryo, composed of radicle and plumule, is essential for germination.
  • Seeds are classified according to their origin, cotyledons and reserve substances.
  • Germination depends on adequate conditions such as humidity and temperature.

The seeds represent the beginning of a new life and a new organism, which is composed of essential elements for its effective development. The parts of the seed play an important role in the germination process, allowing a plant with optimal development to be obtained, each of them has relevant characteristics that will be detailed in the following article.

parts-of-the-seed

Seed Parts

Plants represent one of the most important for the development of life on planet earth, they have been in the world since the beginning of time and have populated the world, adapting to various ecosystems, climate change, geographical variability and many other factors. , for which it is emphasized that just like everything related to life, it is presented with a beginning and development, as in the case of plants, they begin with seeds.

The seeds are in charge of developing a new plant, this is carried out by a specific process that requires the operation of various elements, since in order to fulfill its objective it must be in the necessary conditions, not only externally. but also internally, and this is because the seed is made up of various parts that perform a specific function.

Embryo

The embryo is a small plant that is in the seed being formed, it is emphasized that it is in a state of lethargy, which means that it does not present any type of activity, since it is in development, it is also formed by certain elements known as gemmule, stem, plumule, cotyledon, radicle, each one of them can be detailed, since they play a very important role.

Radicle

The embryo begins to present roots, the first of them is the radicle, it is highlighted that when it comes out it begins to develop certain small hairs that are important characteristics to be able to absorb nutrients.

Plumule

This is the developing area to be able to present the stem over time, it is known that the plumule is exhibited as a bud.

parts-of-the-seed

hypocotyl

It is the separation that occurs between the radicle and the plumule, being the specific area that will become the stem of the plant, so it is a point of great importance in the seed, allowing growth in general, this is specifically shown in the hypocotyl, being found to one side of the epicotyl as well as the radicle.

Cotyledon

The formation of the plant begins to present leaves, the first ones that appear are the cotyledon, specifically the first fulfills the objective of acting as a source of nutrients so that the seedling can be developed in the correct way, therefore, it is known as that It provides the necessary food for growth.

The seedling is the one that has these first leaves at the time the seed has gone through its germination process, and for this it must be considered that the seed exhibits two types of plants depending on the number of cotyledons it has, being monocotyledons, which are those that only have one leaf, and the dicotyledons that have more than one leaf.

albumen

It is a nutrient storer that has a voluminous texture with a clear coloration, reaching white, these nutrients are those that are given as food directly to the embryo that are required during the germination process that the seed has for a while.

Episperm

The seed is covered by a certain texture that is the episperm, which is characterized by being a type of protective membrane, it is made up of two layers, known as togumen, being the one at the bottom of the other layer known as as testa, this is for the case of angiosperms, highlighting that for gymnosperm only the testa is presented.

Endosperm

It is a quantity of tissues that is responsible for storing all the nutrients that the seed contains, which must be used as food during the germination process.

micropyle

It is the area of ​​water passage that occurs during the germination process, being of great importance, since it directly influences the seed for optimal fertilization.

Germination

Each of the parts of the seed must function correctly to provide the necessary conditions for the germination process to be carried out and the plant can grow healthily, emphasis is also placed on how the seed does not present any type of activity At this time, there are other factors that stand out in it, among the most important are humidity and temperature.

The parts of the seed have a fundamental role in this process, first the radicle begins to enter the substrate to start the development of the roots, from which the opening of the cotyledons begins, the hypocotyl carries out a process of growth for the stem, finally the wilting of the cotyledons occurs, which allows the leaves to begin to show.

An important point that must be considered in hypogeal germination processes is that in this case the cotyledons are always inserted into the ground, they never rise, while for the epigeal it can be observed on the surface of the ground.

Classification

As mentioned above, the seed presents certain classifications considering various conditions or factors, in such a way that they have different characteristics that allow them to be differentiated.

According to its origin

One of the classifications of the seeds comes by their origin, in this a group is presented, the angiosperms are those that come from the plants that have flowers, which have seeds in them, the gymnosperms is the opposite case, they are not the seeds inside, however, can be located in a cone or others, being the way to differentiate the seeds according to where they come from.

According to the situation of its reserve substances

One of the characteristics of the seeds is that they have some substances stored as reserves, but these are not always the same in all cases, they can vary according to their location, among them the endosperms are named, which carries out the storage in the endosperm , are effective for the germination process and in addition to this they are usually used to develop different types of elements.

The exendospermates contain the substances specifically in a part or structure of the embryo, this is because the embryo has absorbed the seeds in advance, which is why it differs from the endospermates, and finally there are the perispermates, which carry out the storage in the perisperm, being characteristic for being of tissues, but they also have endosperm but different from the first case, since it is in a minimum quantity.

According to the number of cotyledons

Among the parts of the seed are the cotyledons, however, some of them differ because they do not have the same amount, first the monocots are named, this is for the case of those that only have one cotyledon, and on the other sides the dicotyledons are those that have more than one, at least two, and in addition it is important to consider the duration of these seeds.

The classification by duration presents the orthodox, which are those that are characterized by being very resistant, which means that their duration is greater, and in the opposite case, the recalcitrant ones are found, for this reason, in this case, the sowing must be carried out immediate way.

According to its fruits

The seed will develop a fruit, however, this is not always presented in the same way since they do not have specific characteristics, therefore pseudocereals, grain seeds, are indicated in this classification, being the most relevant to differentiate In the first case, they are seeds that come from other plants that are different and their appearance is similar to that of a cereal, which is why the name pseudocereals is presented.

Grain seeds are characterized by being dry, they have resistance, which is why it is indicated that they are hard, they can have a cover that protects them as it may not, they can be very similar to pseudocereals, so it is important to know some differences such as its composition or influence on the development of the plant.

Plants with Seeds

Each of the classifications of the seeds directly influences the characteristics of the plants that possess them, among them are the seeds with grains, such as these can be named those of rice or oats, in the case of cereals amaranth seeds are indicated, other plants with seeds are legumes, including alfalfa, lentil.

Angiosperms are one of the most characteristic given that they are those of tomato, avocado, apple and others of great relevance, gymnosperms present those of pine, fir and others, endosperms include the seeds that are corn, wheat, barley, exoenphosperms are the walnut ones and lastly the perspermated ones are those of pepper, beet.

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