Question

Which of the following conditions is needed by almost all seeds to break dormancy?

• A. Exposure to light
• B. lmbibition
• C. Abrasion of the seed coat
• D. Exposure to cold temperatures

Answer 1

The correct option is B lmbibition

Seed dormancy allows seeds to overcome periods that are unfavourable for seedling established and is therefore important for plant ecology and agriculture. Several processes are known to be involved in the induction of dormancy and in the switch from the dormant to the terminating state. Imbibition is a special type of diffusion when water is absorbed by solids-colloids causing an enormous increase in volume. If it were not for the pressure due to imbibition, seedlings would not have been able to emerge out of the soil into the open; they probably would not have been able to establish.

So the correct option is 'Imbibition'.