Importance Of Germination

This essay will discuss the follow points: what germination is, what the seedling stage is, the structure of a bean seed prior to germination, the process germination follows in the seed, the plant’s structure in the seedling phase, the hormones affecting the process, and cell differentiation.

The germination of a seed is the process it undergoes to become a fully grown plant. Most seeds require water, soil and oxygen to begin to germinate, although some seeds have an additional need for light. Bean seeds are one of these seeds, and are therefore planted fairly close to the surface of the soil in order to get light.

The seedling stage is the initial stage in the life cycle of a plant, and occurs usually a few days or weeks after the seed’s germination

The water also softens the testa, allowing the other parts of the seed to extend outwards. First is the radicle, which extends out into the soil to gather nutrients. Next, either the epicotyl or the hypocotyl will extend to carry the plumule out of the soil. The only difference is that if the hypocotyl extends, the cotyledons are brought up with the plumule, and if the epicotyl extends they are left in the soil. The deciding factor between these options is the specific species of the seed.

Once the seed has completed its germination into a seedling, its structure has changed rather drastically. Both the radicle and the epicotyl/hypocotyl have extended to from the roots and the stem respectively. The radicle has split into root hairs as well. The cotyledons have had their nutrients used up and are dry husks attached to the stem. The plumule has grown into full leaves (primary leaves), collecting sunlight and carbon dioxide for the plant to grow.

The hormones within a seed have a great impact on how it develops. Just like us humans, hormones can affect how big the plant