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Quezon Map

Quezon Protected Landscape

Seed bank

1. What is a seed bank?

2. Why is a seed bank important?

3. Seedbank establishment in the Philippines

Interesting Native plant species of Quezon

The Seed

Embryogenesis

1. Stages of Embryonic Development

2. Establishment of Apical-Basal and Radial Axis

Seed Dormancy

1. Types of Seed Dormancy

2. How to break Seed Dormancy

Germination

1. Imbibition of Water

2. Mobilization of food reserves

3. Tropisms

References

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A Map of Quezon Province showing the municipalities of Atimonan, Pagbilao, and Padre Burgos where the Quezon Protected Landscape is located.

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A Map of Quezon Province showing the municipalities of Atimonan, Pagbilao, and Padre Burgos where the Quezon Protected Landscape is located.

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🌱A closer look at the vicinity of Quezon Protected Landscape🌱

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🌱A closer look at the vicinity of Quezon Protected Landscape🌱

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The easiest way to describe a seed bank is that it is an effort to store seeds, possibly for keeping genes that humanity can use to improve the quality of crops that humans utilize.

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One importance of seed bank, and possibly the most important use, is that it protects genetic diversity of plants. As mentioned above, storing these seeds may preserve genes useful genes that may make crop quality better. These useful genes are then readily available for use in these seed banks.

Seed banks are also great for keeping plant species available and stand the test of time. We don't really know if some kind of apocalyptic event or disaster will happen in the future. Maybe this will wipe out a majority of the species in the world, including plants that humans need for survival such as crops. A secure seed bank would pretty much guarantee that useful plants can be revived again for human use in the event that a disaster completely annihilates a plant species from the face of the planet.

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Efforts in establishing a seed bank in the Philippines

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Efforts in establishing a seed bank in the Philippines

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There is actually an effort in establishing a seed bank in the country. The primary purpose of this is to give a sustainable source of organic seeds for the farmers from the Northern Philippines. This project is managed by ENCA farm.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/organic-seed-bank-establishment-in-philippines/

In Cordillera, the Cordillera Ecological Center established community seed banks for food security. The seed banks are in Karao, Bokod; Lusod, Kabayan; Caponga and Cenral Tublay. This effort was in response to the warning that food security across the globe is in danger. This action was in support of the global seed banking movement.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/10122020-philippine-indigenous-ngo-seed-banking-for-food-security-oped/

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© Copyright 2000-2021 GlobalGiving, a 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 30‑0108263; UK Charity # 1122823) Questions?
1110 Vermont Ave NW, Ste 550, Washington, DC 20005, USA Contact Us

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Organic Seed Bank Establishment in Philippines on GlobalGiving

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The primary goal of this project is to develop a local sustainable source of organic seeds for farmers in the Northern Philippines. This will lower costs for farmers having to purchase seeds with each planting. This program will also improve the health of local soil by not having to use chemical fertilizers to grow hybrid and synthetic non-organic seeds.

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     🌱 THE NATIVE PLANT SPECIES OF QUEZON PROVINCE 🌱

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     🌱 THE NATIVE PLANT SPECIES OF QUEZON PROVINCE 🌱

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1) Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br.

This plant has really beautiful flowers arranged by mother nature like a bouquet. Interestingly, the seeds of this plant look similar to a coconut husk and reminds of a Pokemon called Swinub  \(￣︶￣*\))

Copyright © 2016 by Jamie Morrow

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2) Alocasia heterophylla (C.Presl) Merr.

My mother is taking care of another Alocasia species so it was interesting to see that there is an Alocasia relative native to her home province. My mom will definitely want some seeds of this plant  (✿◡‿◡)

Copyright © 2012 by P.B. Pelser & J.F. Barcelona

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3) Areca catechu L.

We can't talk about the Quezon province without mentioning the Coconut trees. Sadly, Cocos nucifera is actually an introduced species to the province. We have Areca catechu though, a palm species that is actually native to the province of palms. Its seeds glow bright orange and are also known as Betel nuts, an interesting nut known for being "quite addictive"  (⓿_⓿)

Copyright © 2011 by P.B. Pelser & J.F. Barcelona

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4) Cinnamomum mercadoi S.Vidal

This plant is really interesting as it is an endemic cinnamon found in Quezon. Just like the cinnamon you can buy in supermarkets, this tree's bark is also used as flavoring. To the people who like cinnamon flavor (me), getting seeds of this plant will be life changing ╰(▔∀▔)╯

© Putz Agarwood Farm 2021

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5) Ficus balete Merr.

There is only one reason why this tree piqued my interest. It reminds me of the horror stories of Balete drive. Now I'm wondering, if I grow a seed of this tree at my backyard, will I see a white lady after several years? Maybe the Quezon Protected Landscape has white ladies?  (>_<)

Also, Balete trees are quite known for their "strangling" nature. Probably just as scary as the white lady stories (＞﹏＜)

Copyright © 2017 by Derek Bagonoc

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6) Myristica philippensis Lam.

Now this plant has a really interesting seed. The plant was given the common name Duguan because of its bright red aril, a covering of the seed which reminds me of molten candle, and also blood ＼(º □ º l|l)/

Copyright © 2019 Capiz Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office - CaPENRO

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7) Canarium ovatum Engl.

What makes this plant interesting is that it is actually known as the Pili. The seeds of this plant are harvested for its consumption as the popular Pili nuts. Planting this tree at your doorstep would literally give joy and a lot of calories to Pili nut enthusiasts  (・_・;)

Copyright © 2014 by Alma P. Gamil

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8) Begonia copelandii Merr.

As I am writing this, there is actually a Begonia plant right outside my window. Seeing a native Begonia relative in my province is really cool. The seeds are also relatively unique and interesting as they are really small yet numerous, kind of like Filipinos  (～￣▽￣)～

Copyright © 2012 by P.B. Pelser & J.F. Barcelona

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9) Caryota rumphiana Mart.

This palm species that does not look too much like a palm is the Caryota rumphiana. It has a really distinct appearance in which it almost appears like a mop head. Another thing that caught my attention are its grooved seeds which are black or dark brown in color. Plantitas may want to get seeds of this palm just for its unique appearance, although space may (will definitely) be an issue  (◕︿◕✿)

Copyright © 2012 by William J. Baker

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10) Dillenia philippinensis Rolfe

The last plant species is the Katmon tree. What makes this species interesting is its cool looking fruit that when opened, has tendril like structures visually similar to Duguan's aril. Inside the fruit are the seeds that grow into the Katmon tree that is commonly used in gardening (ᵒ̤̑ ₀̑ ᵒ̤̑)wow!*✰

Copyright © 2011 by Leonardo L. Co

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Image taken from :
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-biology2/chapter/development-seeds-and-fruit/

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There is a slight difference in the Embryonic Development of monocots and eudicots. Here we show the development of Arabidopsis and Rice as representatives of eudicots and monocots respectively.

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Stages of Embryonic Development in Eudicots

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Stages of Embryonic Development in Eudicots

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In Eudicots like Arabidopsis, embryogenesis proceeds with these stages:

1) Zygote stage
- this is the stage where the haploid egg and haploid sperm fuse and form the diploid Zygote.

2) Globular stage
- in this stage, the single celled zygote has already divided and forms a radially symmetrical and spherical 8 cell embryo. Further cell division will later increase the number of cells in this stage.

3) Heart stage
- true to its name, in this stage, the ball of cells become bilaterally symmetrical. This is due to a focused cell division on both sides of the future shoot apical meristem, forming two relatively longer lobes at both sides.

4) Torpedo stage
- cell elongation and cellular differentiation is now clearly visible in the embryo. 3 long lobes can be seen, 2 from the sides of the future shoot apical meristem, and the third one is the original ball which has now elongated. As explained by the name, the embryo now looks like a torpedo.

5) Mature stage
- at the mature stage, it loses water, entering a state of dormancy and becoming metabolically inactive.

Below we see how the Arabidopsis embryo develops. Taken from Plant Physiology and Development 6th ed. by Taiz, Zeiger, Møller, and Murphy.

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Stages of Embryonic Development in Monocots

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Stages of Embryonic Development in Monocots

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For monocots, we use Rice as our example. The stages of development are as follows.

1) Zygotic stage
- similar to eudicots, at this stage, we only have a single cell that will later undergo further development.

2) Globular stage
- still similar to Arabidopsis development, a multilayered globular congregation of cells is present at this stage. An initial horizontal division produces the apical and basal cells.

3) Coleoptile stage
- at this stage, a difference between monocots and eudicots can really be seen. Monocots don't form a heart shape group of cells. Instead, development of coleoptile, shoot apical meristem, root apical meristem and radicle form at this stage.

4) Juvenile vegetative stage
- at this stage vegetative leaves are already formed formed from the shoot apical meristem.

5) Maturation stage
- this is the stage prior to dormancy. Maturation related genes are now being expressed before seed finally enters its dormant state.

Embryogenesis of Rice, a monocot plant. Taken from Web Topic of Plant Physiology and Development 6th ed. by Taiz, Eduardo, Møller, and Murphy.

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Establishment of Apical-Basal and Radial axis

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Establishment of Apical-Basal and Radial axis

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The establishment of apical-basal axis occurs early in the embryonic development. The zygote's apical end is mostly cytoplasmic in nature while the basal end possesses a large central vacuole. These two ends therefore have a difference in cytoplasmic density that the zygote recognizes when it divides in an asymmetrical fashion. The apical cell at the apical end then becomes cytoplasmically dense while the basal cell at the basal end is longer and possesses vacuoles. The apical cells gives rise to most of the embryo after it divides into the 8-celled proembryo. The basal cell divides relatively less, and only produces about 7 to 9 files of cells. The uppermost cell or the hypophysis forms a part of the root mesoderm as it joins the proembryo. The other cells will be the cells that form the extraembryonic suspensor.

The radial axis runs perpendicular to the embryo's apical-basal axis. The patterning of the embryo radially occurs in the proembryo. Two types of cell division occur here. Cell division may be periclinal that creates a new layer of tissue or anticlinal which produces more cells in an already established layer. At this area, formation of new tissue layer is continuous, starting from the periphery heading towards the center.

In this figure, we can observe the apical-basal and radial axis of the growing plant. Taken from:
https://www.macmillanhighered.com/BrainHoney/Resource/6716/digital_first_content/trunk/test/hillis2e/asset/img_ch24/c24_fig04.html

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Seed Dormancy can be characterized by the reasons for the dormancy. There are two main types, coat-imposed dormancy and embryo dormancy.

1) Coat-imposed dormancy
- in this type, dormancy is caused by the seed coat itself along with the other tissues in the seed like endosperm, pericarp, and extrafloral organs.

This dormancy may be caused by the impermeability of the coat to water.

The radicle may also have a hard time penetrating the endosperm if it is too rigid.

Tissues said earlier may also be interfering with gas exchange. Oxygen rich environments were proved to end dormancy in seeds, so tissues that limit gas exchange effectively prevent the breaking of dormancy.

Additionally, the seed may contain secondary metabolites blocked from escaping by the coat. These secondary metabolites are inhibitors that prevent the breaking of dormancy and can be removed from the seed just by repeated rinsing with water.

2) Embryo dormancy
- this is the type of dormancy where other tissues have no influence in seed dormancy. The only reason for dormancy lies in the embryo itself.

There are cases where the cotyledon promotes dormancy like the European hazel.

Embryos may also be underdeveloped and haven't reached maturity yet, therefore staying in dormancy.

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There are several ways to break seed dormancy.

1) Light
- Numerous seeds require light to initiate germination. Seeds therefore need exposure to light to break their coat-imposed dormancy. Removal of outer tissues like the endosperm allows the seed to germinate even in the absence of light

2) Chilling 🥶 and After-ripening
- The method to break seed dormancy by chilling is referred to as stratification. This can be done easily by throwing the seed in a refrigerator.
- Some seeds also need to undergo after-ripening where they are stored in a dry area in room temperature. The length of after-ripening varies and may be as short as a couple of weeks to a long time like 5 years.

3) Chemical compounds
- Respiratory inhibitors were proven to be effective in breaking dormancy in some species. Some of these chemicals are sulfhydryl compounds, oxidants, and nitrogenous compounds. Most of these chemicals normally don't occur naturally in the environment though.

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Imbibition is the first phase of the three phases of water intake in Germination. Imbibition can be characterized by a rapid water intake of the dry seed. Water potential has a matric potential component. This matric potential lowers the overall water potential of the dry seed, creating a gradient that takes in water. Imbibition only stops when water saturates all the binding sites, making the matric potential less negative.

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Food reserves are mainly found in the endosperm or the cotyledon. Movement of these food reserves happen when the growing seedling requires nutrients after germination. These reserves come in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Plants need glucose and get it from the reserves as starch.

Let us take starch as an example. a-Amylase hydrolyzes the starch and make oligosaccharides that B-Amylase degrades into maltose. Glucose is then produced from maltose through conversion by Maltase.

Gibberellin is one of the major playmakers in this process. Gibberellin is known to stimulate production of a-amylase. Additionally, when the GID1 gibberellin receptor binds to DELLA repressor proteins it promotes an even better gibberellin response.

a-Amylase transcription is also regulated by GA-MYB. This GA-MYB protein was shown to activate a-Amylase gene expression, further helping in the production of glucose in these early stages of plant development.

ABA or Abscisic acid on the other hand has the opposite effect. ABA actually inhibits hydrolytic enzyme synthesis which the plant needs to utilize the food reserves in seeds. To be specific, ABA inhibits the a-Amylase synthesis which is reliant on Gibberellin by inhibiting a-Amylase mRNA transcription.

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There are several tropisms that play a role in plant development.

1) Gravitropism
- the growth in response to gravity. Positive gravitropism refers to the response where the plant grows towards the same direction as gravity, like the roots that grow downward. Negative gravitropism is the opposite, where the plant grows opposite the direction of gravity, like the shoots that grow upward towards the sun.

Auxin is a major factor in this tropism. When roots grow horizontally, auxin concentrates on the lower side of the root. This actually slows down the growth on that lower side while the upper side grows faster, allowing the root to bend downward and follow the direction of gravity.

PIN3 is a protein that causes this transport of auxin to occur as redistribution of PIN3 is correlated to the speed of auxin transport towards the lower side of the root.

A PIN1/ABCB19-directed stream delivers the IAA from the roots to the shoot.

The root is able to detect gravity through statoliths, amyloplasts whose density is enough to sediment at the bottom of cells. These statoliths are located in the statocytes, the gravity sensing cells of the root.

2) Phototropism
- the growth in response to light as a stimulus. Just like gravitropism, phototropism is also mediated by auxin

In phototropism, auxin concentrates on the shoot side not exposed to light. This promotes rapid cell growth and elongation in this side so that the plant can bend towards the light.

Phytochromes, the red/far-red pigment allows plants to adjust to the changes in light quality.

3) Thigmotropism
- the growth in response to touch. Plants don't really go freely however they want. They also encounter obstacles like rocks, or when plants grow on a surface like a wall.

A good example of thigmotropism is the "wavy root" syndrome first described by Darwin. Arabidopsis roots grown at a 60 degree angle initially grow downward as a positive gravitropic response. However upon contact with agar, the roots exhibit a negative thigmotropism where they drift away from the stimulus.

A positive thigmotropism would be tendrils wrapping around another plant's stem or possible a wall.

Localized changes in internal calcium is characteristic of thigmotropism.

The proteins playing a role in thigmotropism are the mechanosensitive channels (MscS). An example of which is the Mid1-Compleneting Activity (MCA) proteins, proteins that are involved in taking in calcium.

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Jürgens, G. (1995). Axis formation in plant embryogenesis: cues and clues. Cell, 81(4), 467-470.
Paclibar, G. C. B., & Tadiosa, E. R. Plant species diversity and assessment in Quezon Protected Landscape, Southern Luzon, Philippines.
Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I. M., & Murphy, A. (2015). Plant physiology and development (No. Ed. 6). Sinauer Associates Incorporated.