A seed can germinate once the endosperm dehydrates sufficiently.

A seed can germinate once the endosperm dehydrates sufficiently.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Only after stratification

Answer: (B)

Germination starts when the seed takes up water (imbibition), which reactivates enzymes, resumes metabolic processes, and allows the embryo to grow. The dehydration level of the endosperm is not the trigger for germination. If the endosperm dries out too much, nutrients and water available to the embryo can become limited, hindering germination rather than promoting it. In many seeds, the endosperm provides nutrients and remains hydrated during the initial stages of germination, and it is consumed as the seedling establishes itself. Stratification is a dormancy-breaking treatment for some species, but it’s about breaking dormancy, not about dehydration of the endosperm initiating germination. So germination occurs with adequate water, oxygen, and suitable temperature, not after the endosperm has dehydrated.

Germination starts when the seed takes up water (imbibition), which reactivates enzymes, resumes metabolic processes, and allows the embryo to grow. The dehydration level of the endosperm is not the trigger for germination. If the endosperm dries out too much, nutrients and water available to the embryo can become limited, hindering germination rather than promoting it. In many seeds, the endosperm provides nutrients and remains hydrated during the initial stages of germination, and it is consumed as the seedling establishes itself. Stratification is a dormancy-breaking treatment for some species, but it’s about breaking dormancy, not about dehydration of the endosperm initiating germination. So germination occurs with adequate water, oxygen, and suitable temperature, not after the endosperm has dehydrated.