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Seed bank, from the name itself, is where seeds are stored.  It is very important  because  it  allows  the preservation  of the seeds’ genetic diversity.   These   seeds   possess genes essential  for the production of varieties  of  major  food  crops. Hence,  seed bank  is  important in saving and protecting plant genetic diversity.    Seed    banks    were established in some regions in the Philippines   such   as   in   North Cotabato,    Los     Banos,    and Cordillera.  Their primary goal is to develop  a  sustainable  source  of organic  seeds  for  farmers  in the country.

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Have you ever wondered how your favorite fruits came to be? We pick them from the plants, of course! But how do these plants grow? The answer, of course, would go way back to their “baby” forms: the seeds! These are embryonic plants, sort of an immature version of what they are supposed to be, that are enclosed in a strong outer layer, much like chicks in eggs!

Inside the seed, we can see the embryo. When it grows, part of it becomes the root (radicle) and the other becomes the shoot (epicotyl). But in order for it to grow, of course it needs food! That is where the cotyledons come in. Some plants have one cotyledon and are called monocots, while others have two and are called dicots! Take note, though, eudicots are not called that way just because of their cotyledons.

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1. ZZ  plant -  EZ  (easy)  to  grow
2. Pothos Houseplant - strong  and durable
3. Lucky  Bamboo  -  only  requires water to keep growing & isn't picky
4. Spider plants -  natural air filters
5. Philodendron - survives in either high or low light
6. Topiary  -  so  we  can  decorate with colored ornaments <3
7. Chamomile - whenever we wanna have sum tea jk; for relaxation and sleep
8. Aloe  Vera  -  known  for  many health purposes
9. Cacti  -  THEY  BE  PRETTY !!!
10. Shamrock - plant in a pot, put a sunny spot, water them, & reap the rewards

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When a plant grows, it knows where the ground and the top areas are. This is true for seeds: they know which part goes up and which part goes down. As early as the zygotic stage, we see separate top and bottom cells. Different types of cell divisions are used to direct the axes of growth: periclinal divisions make it longer, while anticlinal divisions make it thicker.

Still, this doesn’t answer the question: how do the seeds know which way to go? An experiment with mutant plants allowed scientists to learn that at least four genes are responsible for this! GURKE gene allows the plant to create acetyl-CoA carboxylase, this is important for the plant to create the top portion of the embryo.

The gene FACKEL is important for creating a C14 sterol reductase which is critical for the formation and patterning of the central part of the embryo. MONOPTEROS encodes an auxin response transcription factor and allows the embryo to form the basal part, while GNOM encodes a guanine nucleotide exchange factor to create the polar distribution of auxin efflux carriers.

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     Stages of Embryonic             .          Development          

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     Stages of Embryonic             .          Development          

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Now we know what seeds are, and that they came from plants. Maybe it’s  time  for  us  to  find  out  how these seeds come to be. First, we have  to  know  that  there are five stages  in  the  development of the embryo:  zygotic  stage,  globular stage, heart stage, torpedo stage, and mature stage.  Each  of  them looks very much like the way they are named!

The first stage is the zygotic stage. Here, we have a single-celled zygote        which       divides asymmetrically  into  two:  a  small top  (apical)  cell   and   a  slightly elongated bottom (basal) cell.  The second stage is the globular stage. As   the   name   suggests,   it’s spherical  in  shape  that  is radially symmetrical.   It  also  consists  of eight   cells   and   already   has  a protoderm.

At  the  third  stage  (heart stage), cells  at  two  certain  points  on either  side  of  the  future  apical meristem divide rapidly to form two cotyledons. This gives it a heart shape   and   is   now   bilaterally symmetrical.    These    outward projections eventually come closer together to point at the top: at this point,  it enters the torpedo stage. Cell  elongation  will  have occurred at this point.

Finally, at the end of development, the  entire  seed  loses  water.  It enters a period of dormancy, which is almost like a hibernation, but for plants.  At  this  point,  the  seed is already  prepared  to  venture  out into the world to be carried by the wind or by many other animals who will bring it somewhere it can grow.

Monocots  are  a   little   different, though.  The  first  two  stages are the same,  but  at  the third stage, monocots   enter   the   coleoptile stage  which  has  root  and  shoot apical  meristems   as  well  as   a radicle.   The  fourth  stage  is  the juvenile  vegetative  stage  where a number   of   baby   leaves   are initiated. However, once it matures, it’ll be just like eudicots.

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      Seed Germination &               .    Different Mechanisms    

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      Seed Germination &               .    Different Mechanisms    

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When the dormancy is broken and water is taken in, germination starts. This only includes the process until the radicle first comes out: after that, it’s no longer known as seed germination. So, to be strictly speaking, we will only focus on how this happens.

Germination can be divided into three stages. First, the dry seed (no longer in dormancy) absorbs water through the process of imbibition. At stage two, the water is already enough, so the intake slows down while the metabolic process starts. The embryo will expand and break the seed coat by protruding the radicle outside. At this point, germination has ended! Finally, water uptake will start again and the food inside the cotyledons are consumed by the growing seedling.

As we have mentioned earlier, seeds have stored food reserves in the cotyledons. These are used in the process of germination. At the subcellular level, starch is kept in amyloplasts. Two types of amylases are used to break down these food stores and consume them. Protein is also kept in storage inside vacuoles called phytins. Phytase is the enzyme used to break open this storage to release all the proteins inside. Lastly, lipids in the form of oil are also consumed.

Once the seed starts growing, it is important for the seed to know which way is up or down. Can you imagine a plant whose roots grew upwards and leaves grew underground? That plant will definitely die. For this, the plant first uses gravitropism.

At the end of the root cap, there are very small structures called statoliths. These are filled with starch that is, of course, pulled down by gravity. When this happens, the plant sends signals to its growing roots to recognize the gravity: after all, the statoliths have already been pulled down, so there’s no mistaking where down is.

Another important tropism is called phototropism. This is the phenomenon where the plants grow towards or away from light, depending on its needs. At the molecular level, this can be explained by the reaction of auxin to sunlight. It becomes dissociated and degraded in the presence of sunlight, and therefore growth there is limited. This is different at the other end of the plant where sunlight is scarce. There, auxin is plenty and growth continues rapidly and asymmetrically towards the sunlight.

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Seed dormancy is when a seed remains inert and inactive to prevent it from opening and growing in a place where it will only eventually die. Dormancy can either be exogenous or endogenous. This depends on the cause of the dormancy: within or without the embryo.

Endogenous dormancy is caused by the embryo itself. It is usually chemical or genetic in nature, and it might be because the embryo is still too young (immature) or is undergoing after-ripening. Sometimes it may be because of too much abscisic acid or phenolic acid. We can break this seed dormancy by exposing the seed to acids or high heat.

Exogenous dormancies, on the other hand, are caused by factors other than the embryo. This includes impermeable seed coats that prevent water from entering, or extremely sturdy seed coats that do not allow the expanding embryo to break out. These can easily be germinated by mechanical scarification.

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Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I. M., &
Murphy, A. S. (2015). Plant           Physiology and Development
(6th ed.). Sinauer Associates.

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Thank you for everything! It was nice meeting you po. LABLAB <3