Question

Give biological reasons for the following:
A closed can of dried seeds bursts open if some water enters it by accidents.

Answer 1

If we keep some dried seeds in a closed container and when some water enters the can, the container bursts and opens after some time.

This is because water is absorbed by the seeds by the process called imbibition and the seeds swell up. When the imbibing substance is kept in a confined space, the pressure is developed due to the increase in the volume of the imbibing. This is called imbibition pressure.

Because of the imbibition pressure developed in the container, it bursts and opens up.