Question

You have been given a completely dried out mango seed which looks dead. Is embryo inside the seed still alive? Do you think this seed can germinate? Give reasons to justify your answer.

Answer 1

Germination:

1. Germination is the process in which the dormant embryo present in the seed forms a new plant.
2. Germination can occur under the presence of water, availability of air and an ideal temperature.

Conditions required for germination:

1. Seeds need to absorb water to swell up so that the seed coat can burst open, bringing out the embryo present inside the seed.
2. Seeds require air for exchange of gasses in the plants.
3. The seeds need to be at an ideal temperature for it to germinate.

Dry seed:

1. Dry mango seed or any other dry seeds are not able to germinate.
2. The embryo remains dormant in a dry seed and as it gets the favorable condition, the embryo starts developing into a new plant after coming out of the seed.
3. The seeds need to absorb enough water to germinate and hence before planting the seed they need to be submerged in water for a complete day.
4. If the seed is viable with embryo dormant inside it, the seed in the presence of water, air and ideal temperature can easily germinate.