Fruits & seeds.pdf

FRUITS A fruit is usually formed from a fertilised ovary of a flower. The time from when the flower petals wither to the formation of a mature fruit varies for different species of plants. In nutmeg, for example, it's about 90 days. TYPES OF FRUIT foods are classified into groups by appearance an...

FRUITS A fruit is usually formed from a fertilised ovary of a flower. The time from when the flower petals wither to the formation of a mature fruit varies for different species of plants. In nutmeg, for example, it's about 90 days. TYPES OF FRUIT foods are classified into groups by appearance and texture. Some are dry and some are juicy or fleshy. Some dry fruits burst open and shed their seeds, and some keep their seeds inside them The main groups are shown in Table 8.2 Type Of Fruit Example Dry Fruit Peanut ground nut Juicy Fruit Mango Dehiscent fruit Pigeon peas Indehiscent fruit Coconut False Fruit Cashew The of the cashews sometimes called a false food because it does not develop from the swelling of the ovary. Instead the receptacles swells up to form a false fruit. The real fruit of a cashew is the nut which has a coat that is thick hard and shiny on the outside. It looks like a seed but it's really a small fruit contain name a single dicotyledonous seed which is the part we eat. FUNCTIONS OF FRUIT As a major source of food for humans and animals storage of food (in the cotyledon of seeds) for use during germination Protection of the seeds In the case of both fleshy and dry fruits, the dispersal of seeds to distant places SEEDS GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEEDS These are the structures from which new plants grow. A seed forms when a female sex cell in the flower is fertilised by pollen Plants are produced from seeds. The process of reproduction starts with the development of flowers. This is followed by pollination, where the male sex cells are transferred to the female parts of the flower. If fertilization results, the seed has the potential to germinate and grow into a new plant. STRUCTURE OF SEEDS A typical seed has three basic parts: an embryo one or more seed leaves or cotyledons and a seed coat. The embryo will grow into a new plant. cotyledons is a seed leaf within the embryo that provides energy and nutrients for the developing seedling. After the first true leaves are formed the seed leaves wither and fall off. The seed coat or tester protects the seed. TYPES OF SEED You can categorize seeds based on the number of cotyledons. monocotyledons have an embryo with one cotyledon or seed leaf dicotyledons have a embryo with two cotyledons or seeds leaves. The embryonic shoot is called the plumule, and the root is called a radical. Together they form the embryonic axis. The part of the embryonic axis located above the point of attachment of the cotyledons is called the epicotyl, and the embryonic axis below the cotyledon attachment site is called the hypocotyl. SEED DISPERSAL Dispersal of seeds is important because if the young plant as scattered over a larger area, they will compete less with each other for light and water The most common disposal methods are: Animals - plants rely on animal boards and bats, for example, to feed on the fruits and to carry the seeds some distance away from the parent plants. An example of a plant that uses animal seed dispersal. Wind - sees that are carried by the wind as small and have wings or other hair-like structures an example of a plan that uses wind seed dispersal is cotton  Water - plants that live near water have seeds that can float and are carried by water for example a plant that uses water seed disposal is the coconut