Seed development

Seed development is the formation of a mature seed from a fertilized ovule. It produces an embryo, stored reserves, and a protective seed coat.

Double fertilization: A flowering-plant reproductive process in which one sperm fertilizes the egg and another fuses with the central cell. It initiates embryo and endosperm development within the same ovule.
Zygote: The diploid cell formed when two gametes fuse during fertilization. It is the first cell of the seed’s embryo lineage.
Seed yield: The quantity of seed produced by a plant or crop per plant, area, or harvest. Fertilization success and seed filling determine how many mature seeds a crop produces.
Genomic imprinting: Parent-of-origin-dependent gene expression in which one parental allele is expressed more than the other. Imprinting is prominent in endosperm and can affect seed growth.
Embryogenesis: The developmental process by which an embryo forms from a fertilized egg. It traces the zygote’s progression into the seed’s plant embryo.
Female gametophyte: The haploid reproductive structure in a seed plant that contains the egg and central cell. Its cells receive the two sperm involved in double fertilization.
Seed viability: The capacity of a seed to remain alive and germinate under suitable conditions. Developmental defects can leave mature-looking seeds unable to germinate.
Seed size: A seed’s physical dimensions or mass, shaped by genetic and environmental factors. Embryo, endosperm, and maternal tissues jointly constrain final size.
Endosperm: A nutritive tissue in flowering-plant seeds that develops after fertilization of the central cell. It develops alongside the embryo and supplies or stores nutrients.
Plant hormone: A signaling molecule that regulates plant growth, development, or responses to the environment. Hormones coordinate transitions among embryo growth, reserve accumulation, and dormancy.

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