The germination process

• Germination- is the beginning of growth in a plant.
• is the process by which a plant grows from a seed
• When the seeds that are released by plants fall to the ground, some of them will germinate
• On farms and in gardens seeds are provided with the best conditions that allow them to germinate
• Inside each seed is a miniature plant/embryo which can grow into a new plant
• The embryo is formed after the fertilization of the ovule
• The seed has all the nutrients it needs to germinate stored within itself

The features of monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Image credit tokresource.org

• There are two types of seeds:
• Monocotyledons for example maize seeds and
• Dicotyledons for example bean seeds
• The food store in bean seeds is formed in the two seed leaves which are known as cotyledons
• The cotyledons are the first leaves of the seedling
• A maize grain has only one cotyledon which is very small
• In a monocotyledon seed such as maize the food is stored in a different part of the plant called the endosperm
• Certain conditions must be met in order for germination to occur and for the plants to grow into healthy plants
• For seeds to germinate they need:
• water
• an appropriate temperature
• oxygen which is available in atmospheric air
• Oxygen is needed for respiration
• The energy released by the respiration process is used by the germinating seed to grow
• Water is needed to break the testa and for hydrolysis i.e the breakdown of protein and carbohydrate stores
• A suitable temperature is also required for enzymes to act in the germination process

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