Question

Write any two causes of dormancy in seed.

Answer 1

Causes of dormancy in seeds

(i) Hard seed coat: In many seeds dormancy is caused by hard seed coat. This hard seed coat is impermeable to water or gases. In some seeds, the seed coat is so hard that it does not break even by the emerging embryo.

(ii) Immature embryo: Some seeds are apparently healthy but do not germinate as they have an immature embryo. Actually, development of the embryo is not completed in these seeds due to some unknown factor. These seeds remain dormant till the development of the mature embryo.