Explain the two types of reproduction in plants

2/9/09 New material

 Asexual (or vegetative)

Maintains the same traits.

Sexual (seeds)
Very variable

List two causes for embryo abortion

 Non-filling
Failure to accumulate required food reserves
Empty pods

Parthenocarpy
Development of fruit without pollination Can be natural or artificial Example: banana
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What does it take to have a viable seed?

 There must be both

Pollination fertilization

Distinguish between dioecious and monecious

 Dioecious refers to plants with both male and female reproductive parts. Monecious refers to plants that have males and females reproductive parts on separate plants

How are seedless water melon made?

 Developed in Kiana Japan

1. A 2n (one from each parent) water melon treated with cochicine to produce a 4n plant
(during cell division the pairs do not line up because of the colchicine)

2. The 4n plant is crossed with a 2n plant to produce a 3n plant

1. The 3n watermelon is seedless and allowed to flower.

3. The 3n plants (nest to en plants fields) the 2n plants are the pollinators
Muscatine grapes works the same way.
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List the three principles of seed propogation

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 Viability of seeds
Alive, have a living embryo

Seed must be subjected to appropriate environmental

Water Light Oxygen Temperature (peppers = 90 F)

after ripening requirements = Any primary dormancy must be removed (i.e locular jelly in tomato must be removed prior to germination)
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What are the three stages in germination?

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 Activation Digestion Seedling growth

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What happens during activation?

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 Activation involves:
Imbibition of water (softens the testa or seed coat)
A physical process = dead seeds also imbibe water

Enzyme activation (stored enzymes are produced-embryo)

Help make more enzyme germination

Cell elongation - first visible sign

Synthesis of enzymes
Occurs within a few hrs. of imbibition Reactivation of previously synthesized enzymes Synthesis of new enzymes as germination starts

Cell elongation and emergence of radical

First visible evidence of germination From cell enlargement rather than from division Emerges in few hrs or days after initiation of germination
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What happens during digestion in seed germination?

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 Fats, proteins, CHO stored in endosperm digested to simpler substances Translocation to growing points of embryo (radicle, plumule, hypocotyl) Active growth (synthesis of enzymes, proteins, hormones etc) H2O uptake and respiration continue at steady rate
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What happens during seedling growth of germination?

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 Begins with cell division at both ends of embryo axis Expansion of seedling structures Embryo consists of an axis bearing 1 or more seed leaves (cotyledons) Radical emerges from base of embryo axis Plumule (growing point of shoot) from upper end above cotyledons
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What happens to the plant once it begins during stage II of plant growth?

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2/16/09

8:51

Increase in fresh and dry weight and decrease in weight of storage tissue Respiratory rate increases steadily Storage tissue ceases metabolic activity Water uptake increases because of actively growing seedling

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How is seed quality measured?

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 Viability = germination percentage Prompt germination Vigorous seedling growth (hard to quantify)
Should look healthy nice green leaves Strong stems

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What happens once seed growth begins?

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 There is increase in fresh and dry weight and a decrease in weight of storage RS rate increases steadily Storage tissue ceases metabolic activity Water uptake increases because of actively growing seedling

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List the different types of primary dormancy

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Seed coat dormancy Mechanical dormancy Chemical dormancy Morphological dormancy

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Describe what happens during mechanical dormancy?

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 Mainly in plants with seeds embedded in shell

Stone fruits peaches

They will still imbibe water but germinating embryo will not emerge due to cementing material that t is holding it together Softening through microorganism
This will overcome mechanical dormancy

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What happens during chemical dormancy?

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 ABA (abscisic acid a germination inhibitors) prolong leaching with water (example tomatoes) or remove seed covering. Leucoanthocyanidins prevents seed germination until the chemical inhibitors are broken down or are no longer produced by the seed, often physiological dormancy is broken by a period of cool moist conditions, normally below (+4C) 39F, or in the case of many species in Ranunculaceae and a few others,(-5C) 24F. Other chemicals that prevent germination are washed out of the seeds by rainwater or snow melt. Abscisic acid is usually the growth inhibitor in seeds and its production can be affected by light.

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What happen in morphological dormancy?

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 Embryo is not fully developed at time of dissimination ( seed peels) Enlargement occurs after the seed has imbibed water before germination begins. Examples:
Ginseng Rhododendron carrots
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Distinguish between seed dormancy and seed coat dormancy.

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Seed dormancy
Primary dormancy Seed is separated from plant
Prevents immediate germination Regulates time; conditions, and place where germination occurs

Seed coat dormancy

A form of primary dormancy Testa prevents imbibitioin (water uptake) Germination can be induced by any method
Scarification (softens seed coat) i.e. Chenopods = spinach, beets Convolvalceae = sweet potato monrning glory family Solonaceae = tomatoes

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What is hard seededness and how is it overcome?

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 Hard seededness can happen in one of two ways:

Naturally seed maturation during dry conditions Artficially drying seeds at high temperatures

To overcome hard seededness:

Harvest when seeds slightly mature

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List two ways to overcome impervious seed coats.

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1. Action of microorganism 2. Mechanical abrasion (scarification)

1. Chemical approach
1. conc H2SO4) 2. Mechanically
1. 2. Sand paper Tumbling with hard surfaces

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Distinguish between primary and secondary dormancy

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 Primary dormancy involves removal of the after ripening requirement Secondary dormancy is another mechanism to prevent seed germination of an imbibed seed if the environmental conditions are not met.

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What is secondary dormancy?

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 A further adaptation to prevent germination of imbibed seeds if the environmental conditions are not met. Those conditions involves:
Unfavorable high temp Unfavorable low temps Prolonged darkness Prolonged light (photo dormancy)
Since most seed dont need light to germinate.
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How are seeds released from secondary dormancy?

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 Induced by chilling, light, treatment with certain hormones

GA

Scarification also can release 2o dormancy

Michanically Chemically (conc H2SO4)
10 min 6 hours Wash seed to remove acid Drop in hot water until water cools Ei pines

Heat (hot water 170 to 212 F)

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List 5 scarification methods of overcoming domancy.

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 Mechanical scarification
Sand paper, tumbler, cement mixer

Hot water 170 to 212 oF Acid (conc H2SO4) Warm moisture (3 4 months) High temperature (after a forest fire)

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List 4 environmental factors affecting germination

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Water Temperature (extreme) Gas exchange (O2, CO2) light

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