Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Embryo in Plants

 The embryo develops from the zygote at the micropylar end of the embryo sac. It is formed as a result of syngamy when a male gamete fuses with the egg cell. The embryo is present in the seed and is made up of the embryonal axis, cotyledons (one or two). Radicle and plumule are present at the two ends of the embryonal axis.

The zygote produced after fertilization must undergo various cellular divisions and differentiations to become a mature embryo.

Dicot Embryo

A dicot embryo contains two cotyledons and an embryonal axis. Epicotyl is the portion above the cotyledons in the embryonal axis and terminates in the stem tip known as plumule. Hypocotyl is the lower end of the embryonal axis terminating in the root tip or radicle. The root cap covers the radicle.

Monocot Embryo

The monocot embryo possesses only one cotyledon. In grasses, the cotyledon is known as scutellum and present on the lateral side of the embryonal axis. Epicotyl has a shoot apex enclosed in coleoptile and the root cap is enclosed in an undifferentiated sheath known as coleorhiza.

The mature embryo of dicotyledons is globular and heart-shaped. It consists of two cotyledons. Monocotyledons possess only one cotyledon.

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