Module: | Double Fertilization & Endosperm
Q79: Consider the following statements regarding the ecological classification of seed storage behavior:
1. Orthodox seeds can survive severe desiccation and freezing temperatures, allowing them to remain viable in ex-situ seed banks for decades.
2. Recalcitrant seeds undergo rapid cell death and lose viability if their internal moisture content drops below a critical biological threshold.
3. All major cereal crops, such as wheat and rice, inherently produce recalcitrant seeds to ensure immediate germination during the monsoon season.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. Recalcitrant seeds undergo rapid cell death and lose viability if their internal moisture content drops below a critical biological threshold.
3. All major cereal crops, such as wheat and rice, inherently produce recalcitrant seeds to ensure immediate germination during the monsoon season.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, whereas Statement 3 is factually incorrect.
In agricultural science and conservation biology, seeds are categorized by their tolerance to dehydration.
Orthodox seeds (like most legumes, grains, and typical garden vegetables) are evolutionarily designed to dry down to 5-10 percent moisture.
This profound desiccation suspends metabolism, allowing humans to freeze and store them indefinitely in global seed vaults (e.g., Svalbard). Conversely, recalcitrant seeds (like mango, jackfruit, cacao, and rubber) never undergo this maturation drying phase.
If a mango seed is forcibly dried or frozen, the destruction of its cellular membranes causes irreversible death, making them incredibly difficult to preserve long-term.
Statement 3 is entirely false.
Wheat, rice, and maize are the ultimate examples of orthodox seeds; if they were recalcitrant, human civilization could not store grain in silos for years to prevent famine.
In agricultural science and conservation biology, seeds are categorized by their tolerance to dehydration.
Orthodox seeds (like most legumes, grains, and typical garden vegetables) are evolutionarily designed to dry down to 5-10 percent moisture.
This profound desiccation suspends metabolism, allowing humans to freeze and store them indefinitely in global seed vaults (e.g., Svalbard). Conversely, recalcitrant seeds (like mango, jackfruit, cacao, and rubber) never undergo this maturation drying phase.
If a mango seed is forcibly dried or frozen, the destruction of its cellular membranes causes irreversible death, making them incredibly difficult to preserve long-term.
Statement 3 is entirely false.
Wheat, rice, and maize are the ultimate examples of orthodox seeds; if they were recalcitrant, human civilization could not store grain in silos for years to prevent famine.