Seeds and Seeds

A seed has: Seed coat (testa) — protective outer covering. Cotyledon(s) — food store for the baby plant. Embryo — the tiny baby plant (has: radicle=future root, plumule=future shoot). Dicot seeds have 2 cotyledons (beans, peas, mango). Monocot seeds have 1 cotyledon (rice, wheat, maize, coconut). Open a bean seed soaked in water and see these parts clearly!

Seeds need to move away from the parent plant to avoid competition. Methods: Wind: light seeds with wings (maple, dandelion "parachutes"). Water: coconut floats, water lily seeds. Animals: eaten by birds (pass out as droppings), barbed seeds stick to fur (gokhru/tribulus). Explosion: some pods burst and scatter seeds (touch-me-not/Mimosa, peas). Human: farming and trade spread crops worldwide.

Germination = seed starting to grow into a new plant. Conditions needed: Water (to activate enzymes), Warmth (optimal temperature), Oxygen (for respiration to release energy). Steps: Seed absorbs water, swells. Seed coat softens, splits. Radicle (root) grows downward (gravity). Plumule (shoot) grows upward (light). Cotyledons supply food. First true leaves appear. The plant is now a seedling — it can make its own food via photosynthesis.