The word of seed, which we use in today’s Turkish Language, came into us from Persian. The propagation of many plants has occurred only with seeds for centuries, and mankind has continued to call a part of a plant that gives rise to a new plant a seed.

Seed; It is the reproductive organ formed by the union of male and female sex cells in plants. Seed types are classified in two ways: gymnosperms and angiosperms.The seed coat (testa) consists of, nutritional tissue (endosperm), cotyledons and embryo.

Endosperm: It contains the nutrients that the plant embryo needs before and during germination. It stores carbohydrates, fat and protein, depending on the type. It meets the material needs of the plant embryo until germination. Once germinated, the leaves take over the function of the endosperm.

Seed Coat: It develops from the seed coat. The walls of the cells forming the Shell have become corky and lignified. It protects the seed from water loss, mechanical effects, chemical and biological effects.

Embryo: The structure formed by the fertilization of the egg cell in the embryo sac is called zygote. The structure that the zygote develops into is called the embryo. It is the living part of the seed. Embryo; It consists of the stalk (hypocotyl), to which the cotyledons are attached, the radicle (radicula) and the plumula, which carries the first true leaves.

Cotyledons: The first leaflets in the embryo are called cotyledons. It develops depending on the embryo. It takes nutrients from the endosperm and nourishes the plant until it germinates. It also performs photosynthesis for a while after germination.

Production of Seed

Autumn is the harvest time when the seasons intertwine, a magnificent riot of colors in nature and abundance reigns in the gardens. While summer fruits continue to produce their products with enthusiasm, winter plants also join the fun. However, the busiest season for farmers is the second spring, and the most important job of this season is collecting seeds for the next season.

Grains are collected using the dry seed collection method. The seeds are collected after they dry on the plant. For this purpose, the seed-bearing branches of the plants that go to seed after flowering are cut off, the seeds are beaten to separate them from the stalk and straw, and finally the stalk and straw are separated from the seeds by blowing.

The transformation of the embryo from the seed into a free plant occurs through germination. This process is also known as seed sprouting among the public. It is essential to create suitable conditions for germination. So what are these favorable conditions?

For the seed to germinate, water, humidity and temperature must be at ideal levels. Otherwise, the seed will remain dormant, meaning it will not germinate. When the seed germinates, its outer hard Shell cracks. From this cracked part, first the radicle and then the remaining part of the embryo emerge.

The embryo is fed with the nutrients in the seed. When the plant moves towards the light, it feeds by creating its own nutrients with its leaves. Thanks to germination, a small plant emerges from the seed.

Seed Screening Industry

The harvested seed is taken to the facilities for processing and goes through various processes. These processes are respectively;

Seed Cultivation in the World

The increase in seed trade in the world has made it necessary to determine the quality criteria of seeds and all countries have developed their national legislation on this subject. Seed companies in the USA, Germany, France and the Netherlands, which completed their legal regulations on seed growing years ago, today control a large part of the world’s seed production. These four countries have 53.2% of the world seed export of 15.5 billion dollars. While France, the USA and Germany stand out in imports and exports mainly in field crop seeds, the Netherlands has an important place in vegetable and potato seeds. The Netherlands alone has 42% of the world’s vegetable seed exports, which total 4.7 billion dollars.