The Secret Signals That Awakening a Little Seed To Life
Take a dry seed in your hand and look closely at it now.
Does it not look dull?
There is nothing there; no leaves, roots, or anything else.
A seemingly lifeless bulb of a plant just waiting for the perfect opportunity to start growing again.
But then, how does the seed know when that perfect oppurtunity arises?
There are signals that take place during this process which might surprise you. Let's investigate.
💧 WATER SENSORS IN YOUR LITTLE SEED
Water plays an important part when it comes to growing things.
This goes doubly so when you have a little seed that needs waking up.
One of the main reasons a dry seed can stay dormant for so long, is because water is needed to kick start the metabolic processes occurring inside the seed.
The seed takes in the much needed hydration through a process called imbibition.
As water intake increases, the seed's activation rises.
Enzymes in the seed become active and start breaking down stored energy in the seed for food.
In short, it's like having the seed waiting for a switch to be thrown in order to turn the plant growing process on. Water is just one element though.
🌡️ TEMPERATURE MATTERS!
Water alone isn't necessarily sufficient to germinate certain seeds, which is why the germination range comes into play.
Each species has its needs specific to temperatures during different phases of the plant cycle.
If the tempurature is too low, it may hamper biochemical processes needed for germination to occur.
Too hot and a number of biological structures inside the seed can be denatured.
The seed is responding to it's environment, without it really thinking about what is going on. It really is just a biological machine responding to stimuli.
🌬️ CAN THE LITTLE SEED EVEN BREATHE?!
Now that germination has begun, the newly conceived seedling now needs food.
This food usually comes in the form of cellular respiration, where glucose combines with oxygen and creates carbon dioxide, water, and energy in the form of ATP.
This is why the porosity of the soil is crucial for a healthy germinating seed.
If the ground becomes too saturated with water, oxygen can't permeate the soil as easily as it would from more well drained soil. This will affect a seed's ability to breath.
That's probably not the best environment for a baby plant to grow in. Let's continue.
☀️ LIGHT SENSING CAPABILITIES? WHAT LIGHT SENSING CAPABILITIES?!
A fascinating property of most seeds (Though not all, as mentioned previously) is that they germinate better in the presence (or lack thereof) of light.
Some species are positively phototropic, while others are negatively. Others, still are fairly unconcerned with the presence of light all together.
It helps the plant seed to sense if there is anything at all going on in the world it is emerging into. It may help the seed to know if there is anything at all to live for.
A small seed underground can sense the difference between daylight and night time, and it doesn't take a conscious effort to do so.
🌱 AND THEN... WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS?!
Once the proper environmental conditions have been met, the process can begin.
The seed coat starts to crack, and from within, a tap root begins to emerge and travel downwards in order to gather sustenance for the soon to be embryo.
It is then followed by the epicotyl, or shoot, that begins to make it's way upwards to greet the sun.
Inside the seed is a storehouse of nutrition that will power the energy needed for this growth spurt until photosynthesis can begin.
With a fraction of a second, a seed can grow from nothing to something. IT IS NOT REALLY KNOWING
When we say that the "the seed knows when to grow", we aren't technically correct, per se.
It has nothing to do with brain function going on inside the seed itself
Rather, it is a result of complex biological machinery doing what it is programmed to do upon receiving specific chemical signals from the surrounding environment. Such elements as chemical sensors, enzymes, temperature, humidity, light and other miscellany could play a part in the decision for a seed to awaken from it's dormant state.
🌍 WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT THIS ANYWAY?!
Knowing about seeds is a valuable source of intellectual wealth, whether it concerns agriculture, hydroponics, gardening, or forensics. Knowing about what causes a seed to germinate can help you to get it to germinate better.
Farmers and scientists know about a seed's dormancy cycle when it comes to breeding and preservation for certain plant species. Gardeners are especially keen on knowing about the germination requirements since they have the most control over environmental variables. There is so much more to the process of starting a seed than you may have previously thought of.
🌿 ONE SMALL LESSON ABOUT PATIENCE
Something you may have noticed about plant growth, and especially the germination process, is patience. Many times nothing seems to be happening for quite a long period of time.
This shouldn't be very surprising in a lot of ways, however, it is important not to expect something to necessarily happen, when nothing seems to be going on.
Sometimes there may actually be something happening, there just may not be anything you can actually see going on.
A seed, once dormant, will generally stay dormant until the right set of enviromental conditions are met. The right ones being completely subjective to the species. When we don't know these things, we can easily overestimate some situations and underestimate others.
❓ QUICK AND TEDIOUS QUESTIONS
Can a dry seed still be alive?
Yes, as long as the conditions for storability is met, a dormant seed can be considered alive, nonetheless.
Does every seed need sunlight to germinate?
Nope!
Why does a seed need water?
Water triggers many biological processes required during germination and general plant growth.
Does a seed have a brain?
Nope!
📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Seeds can remain dormant in an alive state for extended periods of time.
• Water is necessary and an important trigger for germination.
CONCLUSION
A seed may not seem like much at first glance. But, what the human eye can't see can oftentimes be more important than the naked eye can see. What goes on in a dormant seed is a fascinating process that deserves attention. The next time you see a seed, you may want to reconsider the things that you know about it.
FEEDCOVER QUESTION
If a seed could not speak, what do you think its first sign of "waking up" would be?
SOURCE
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Seed Information Database
