Germination

What is germination

Germination is the process by which a new plant grows from a seed. There are some things which are needed in order for seeds to germinate. They are water, oxygen and the right temperature. These things are known as the conditions necessary for germination. If a seed does not have the right conditions to germinate it may not grow.

When a seed has the right conditions to germinate, it takes in water and oxygen through the micropyle (hole in the seed coat). The seed swells and the seed coat breaks open. The radicle grows downward into the soil, becoming the roots of the plant. The plumule grows up out of the soil and becomes the shoot. The diagram below shows how a plant germinates.