Seed

Ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm which develops following

fertilization and contains an embryo surrounded by a protective cover. Other food
reserves storing tissues (e.g endosperm) may be present in the mature seed
A propagule that contains the next generation of a plant.
Botanical sense: Ripened ovule containing an embryo.
Agricultural definition: Any part of the plant which is used for further production
or propagation of crops is called seed.
Cereals grain
Sugarcane cuttings
Sweet potato roots
Bryophyllum leaves
Potato tubers
 Seed size and shape
Globally average seed weights:
Trees 328 mg
Shrubs 69 mg
Herbaceous plants 7 mg
Coco de mer (Double coconut) weighs over 20 kg
 Grain
According to FAO
Grain is mature seed commonly of cereals and legumes that is used for
consumption by humans or animals directly or in directly for malting,
milling or other further processing and not for planting.

Grain may or may not be capable of germination under favorable

environmental conditions and of growing into a normal plant.

Some authors preferentially reserve the term seed to that which is

marketed and used for sowing.

Cereal kernels were the original basis of the grains standard for the
weight and measures.
Grain Legumes
Those species of legumes whose seeds are used for human food and in
some cases as animal feed e.g. beans, peas, soybeans, chickpea, lentils.

Cereals
Dry, indehiscent fruit derived from one carpel. Cereals are food plants
belonging to the grass family, Poaceae and are preliminary cultivated for
their grains (strictly caryopsis).

Cereals grains provide about half the energy consumed by the human
worldwide; more if the animal feed is counted.

Millet: the term in used for small seeded cereals.

Pseudocereals

Food plant with similarly starchy seeds but which belongs to other plant
family e.g buckwheat, quinoa, grain amaranth.

Amaranth
Caryopsis
A term traditionally applied to the fruit of the grasses. It is small indehiscent
fruit having a single seed with such a thin closely adherent pericarp (fruit coat)
that a single unit ,the grain is formed.
Similar to achene, but the pericarp is not readily distinguishable from seed
coat.

Achene
A one seeded, dry, indehiscent fruit with the seed attached to the fruit wall at
one point only. It is derived from one-loculed superior ovary. Seed coat is
insignificant compared with fruit coat (pericarp) e.g. sunflower, lettuce, sugar
beet, Buckwheat (three seeded achene).
Siliqua
It is a fruit (seed capsule) of 2 fused carpels with
the length being more than three times the
width. It is dry and dehiscent fruit e.g.
Brassica family

Radish
Pulses
Seeds of grains legumes that are stored generally in the dry state and directly
used for food .
In Indian subcontinent
Whole pulse grain Gram
Split pulse Daal

Sprouted seeds
Seeds of several species are germinated as young seedlings are eaten by
humans as health food e.g alfalfa , buckwheat, cabbage ,mustard.

Legumes
A typical dehiscent fruit (pod) of the fabaceae ( leguminosae) developed from
a single carpel opening along two sutures (dorsally and ventrally) with the
seeds attached to the ventral structure e.g. alfalfa ,pea.

In Non botanical sense, Legumes refers to the plants, pods or seeds of the
family often edible to humans and animals.
Orthodox seeds
Seeds that remain viable when desiccated to 5% MC (fresh wt
basis)
Seeds that are subject to maturation drying and acquire
desiccation tolerance are termed orthodox
One notable example of a long-lived orthodox seed which
survived accidental storage followed by controlled germination
is the case of the 2,000 year old Judean date palm (cultivar of
Phoenix dactylifera) seed which successfully sprouted in 2005
Recalcitrant seeds
There are many species that produce seeds
that dont undergo maturation drying remain
intermediate in their development and
desiccation-sensitive at the shedding stage
Not amenable to long term storage
many economically important perennial crops
including tea, coffee, cocoa, citrus, mango,
rubber, oil palm and coconut
 Importance of seeds
Seeds are major source of food.

Seeds occupy a prominent position in world

trade, with export values of many millions of
dollars

Minor food seeds as snack foods and in

confectionary are sunflower, pine nuts, pumpkin,
sesame, watermelon etc.

Nuts are important for direct consumption or as a

minor source of edible oils.
 Many spicy seeds are used as food flavors or
as medicinal.

Seed of many species are important food

source for numerous wild and domesticated
animals.

The identification of the seeds or seed parts is

sometimes an important contribution to
evidence presented in animal investigation
and legal cases (archaeobotany).
 STRUCTURE OF SEED

There are three components of seeds

1. Embryo
2. Food store
3. Covering structure- seed coat
 1. Embryo
Developed by cell division and growth from
zygote which is the diploid product of fusion of
egg nucleus and one of the pollen nuclei at
fertilization

Radicle
Plumule
Epicotyl
Hypocotyl
Cotyledons
 Coleoptile: The basal sheath of cotyledons is
elongated to form a coleoptile covering leaves
Mesocotyl: In maize, hypocotyl is modified to
form a mesocotyl
Coleorhiza is regarded as the base of hypocotyl
sheathing the radicle
Not all seeds contain mature embryo when
liberated from mother plant (orchid seeds
contain minute and poorly formed embryos
and no endosperm)

 Scutellum
Single cotyledon is much reduced and modified
to form scutellum
Functionally similar to cotyledons of dicot
embryo but it does not emerge from seed and
develop into a leaf after germination
It degrades within seed when mobilization of
stored reserves is completed
Scutellum plays an important role in
establishing interaction b/w embryo and
endosperm
 2. Food store
Endosperm-perisperm-megagametophyte

a. Endospermic (Albuminous) seeds

The major reserve tissue is endosperm (cereals, caster
bean, date palm)
The true endosperm result from triple fusion of one of
the haploid pollen nuclei and two haploid polar nuclei
in the embryo sac

Perispermic Seed. The endospermic seed having no

endosperm at maturity. The major reserve tissue in
these is the perisperm which is derived from nucellus
of ovule
Perisperm is diploid maternal tissue in contrast to true
endosperm e.g chenopodiaceae, cactaceae, sugar beet
 b. Non-endospermic (Exalbuminous) seeds

Those seeds with no discrete endosperm

Endosperm and its food material mostly or
completely used up during embryo
development
Endosperm may be only a remnant of that
broken down during seed development
(soybean and peanut)
It may be only one to a few cell layers thick
(lettuce)
Coffee seed. The perisperm is principal storage
organ but no endosperm
 3. Seed coat

Provide mechanical and chemical protection for

embryo and food store inside
Provide means of dispersal e.g. wings, hairs
Seed covering may be impermeable to water, O2
Seed coat is derived from integuments of ovule
thus wholly maternal
Coats may contain mucilaginous cells for water
retention
Phenolics in seed coat that restrict exchange of
gasses b/w embryo and environment
Bewley, J.D. and M. Black. 1985. Seeds: Physiology of Development and
Germination. Plenum Press, New York
 COMPOSITION OF SEED

Carbohydrates
Fats and oils (lipid)
Proteins
Phytin
Other constituents (alkaloids, phytosterols,
phenolic compounds)
 Factors affecting chemical
composition of seed

Genetic factors
Environment. Moisture, temperature etc.
Cultural practices. Planting date, amount of water
received, fertilization
 Cereals

Cereals Protein Oil CH2O Major storage

organ
Barley 12 3 76 Endosperm
Maize 10 5 80 Endosperm
Oat 13 8 66 Endosperm
Rye 12 2 76 Endosperm
Wheat 12 2 75 Endosperm
 Legumes
Legumes Protein Oil CH2O Major storage
organ
Broad bean 23 1 56 Cotyledons
Pea 25 1.3 60 Cotyledons
Lentil 24 1.9 45 Cotyledons
Chick pea 21 5.4 44 Cotyledons
Ground nut 31 48 12 Cotyledons
Soybean 50 21 26 Cotyledons
Others
Castor bean 18 64 Negligible Endosperm
Oil palm 9 49 28 Endosperm
Pine 35 48 6 Megagametophyte
Rape 21 48 19 Cotyledons
Moringa 38 40
 CH2O storage in seeds
Major storage substance in most of cultivated plants especially cereals
Cereals and grasses rich in CH2O low in fats and proteins
Peas and beans are moderately high in CH2O low in proteins and very low
lipids
Starch storage organells are known as amyloplasts

Major forms of CH2O in plant seeds

Starch
Hemicellulose
Pectic substrances
mucilages
 Storage protein
Proteins whose primarily role is as a store of carbon,
nitrogen and sulphur which are utilized to support
germination and early seedling growth

An organelle present in the storage tissues of seeds

that contain storage proteins is called protein body

Dicots are rich source of protein

 Properties of Major Seed Storage Proteins

Albumins: soluble in water. Rich in S-containing amino acids (cysteine, methionine)

Globulins: soluble in dilute salt solutions; the major storage proteins of dicot seeds
Divide into two classes i.e., (7S (vicilins, low in S-containing AA) and 11S(legumins,
High)

Glutelins: No longer a class on its own: are prolamins which dont contain inter-
chain S-S bonds

Prolamins: soluble in alcohols/water mixes; major storage proteins of cereals

Low in lysine and some in tryptophan, threonine and methionine
 Fats and oils
Most storage lipids of seeds are neutral fats
and oils
Stored in oil body which is single membranous
structure
Aleurone layer is rich in oil bodies
Essential fatty acids
 Phytin
Insoluble mixed K, Mg and Ca salt of myo-
inositol hexaphosphoric acid (phytic acid)
A minor reserve (0.5-2% of seed dry weight)
Important source of phosphate and mineral
elements
Phytin located in protein bodies of aleurone
layer in cereal grain in endosperm and
cotyledons of dicots seeds