Grade 10-Business/Technical Subject: Integrated Science

Term 1-Christmas Term 2021 Teacher: Ms. M. Ramrup

Topic: Reproduction and Growth

Sub/Topic: Sexual reproduction in flowering plants

Flowers play a very important role in the continuity of generations in flowering plants. Flowers
contain the male and female reproductive organs of the flowering plants. This enables them to
reproduce sexually as their sex cells come into contact with each other through pollination
followed by fertilization.

Function of the parts of the Flower:

• Petals: This is a bright-coloured part that attracts bees, insects, and birds. Colour of
petals varies from plant to plant; some are bright while some are pale coloured. Thus,
petals help us to differentiate one flower from another.

• Sepals: Sepal is the green-coloured part beneath the petals to protect rising buds. Some
flowers have fused petals-sepals while a few have separated petals-sepals.

• Stamen: This is the male reproductive organ. It consists of two parts namely: anther and
filaments.
o Anther: is a yellowish, sac-like structure, involved in producing and storing the
pollens.
o Filament is a slender, threadlike object, which functions by supporting the anther.

• Pistil: This is the innermost part and the female reproductive organ of a flower which
comprises three parts -stigma, style and ovary. This is collectively known as the pistil.
o Stigma: It is the topmost part or receptive tip of a flower. It is sticky so as to trap
pollen grains.
o Style: It is the long tube-like slender stalk that connects stigma and the ovary.
o Ovary: It is the ductless reproductive gland that holds a lot of ovules. It is the part
of the plant where the seed formation takes place.
In some flowers the petals and the sepals are fused together and are then called the perianth.

Most flowers have both the male and female reproductive structure inside. These flowers are said
to be hermaphrodite. However, there are flowers which are unisex in that they contain only the
male or the female reproductive structure. Examples of unisex flowers are the coconut and
guinep.

Pollination

Fertilization is the fusing of the male and female sex cells. This can only occur if these cells
come into contact with each other. Since in flowering plants they found in different structures of
the flower or even different flowers, the male cells have to travel to the female stigma before
fertilization can happen. This process of transfer is called pollination.

Types of Pollination:

• Self Pollination: where the pollen grains are deposited on the stigma of the same flower
or of a different flower on the same plant.
• Cross Pollination: where the pollen grains are transferred from the anther of one flower
to the stigma of a different flower.

Cross pollination produces a greater variety of offspring because two parents are involved. If the
environment is changing, it is possible that some of these offspring will have a greater chance of
survival than those that results from self pollination because they have a new combination of
genetic materials which makes them able to grow better in the new environment. Also the
offspring will be stronger and less susceptible to diseases.
Agents of pollination:
• wind
• insects
• other animals

Differences between wind pollinated and insect pollinated flowers

Wind-pollinated flowers Insects-pollinated flowers

Usually small with small petals that are not
very conspicuous
Odourless and produce no nectar
Flower hangs down
Stigmas and anthers hand outside the flower
for easy shaking in the wind
Feathery stigmas to catch air borne pollen
grains
Large amount of pollen produced
Pollen grains are small, light and smooth
Large, brightly coloured petals
Sweet scented flowers which usually produced
nectar
Flowers generally directed upwards
Stigmas and anthers usually inside or partly
enclosed in the flower
Stigma rigid and smooth and sticky at tip
Relatively small amount of pollen produced
Pollen grains are relatively large with rough or
sticky surface

Fertilization
Once the stigma has been pollinated, a pollen tube grows from the pollen grain through the soft
tissues of the style down to the ovary. Three nuclei pass down the pollen tube to the ovary, one
tube nucleus and two male nuclei. As the tube enters the ovary through the micropyle (a tiny
hole), the tip of the tube burst open releasing the two male nuclei. One male nucleus fertilises the
female sex cell (the ovum) to forma zygote, which develops into an embryo in the seed. The
other male nucleus fuses with another nucleus in the ovule to form an endosperm tissue which
will store food for the developing zygote in germination.
Seed and Fruit Formation
The zygote and endosperm are enclosed in the outer wall of the ovule, which hardens to form a
protective seed coat called the testa. The zygote and testa form the seed.
As the seed is formed from the fertilized ovule, the wall of the ovary develops into a fruit. When
the fruit is formed the remaining parts of the flowers will dry up and fall off.

Seed Structure
Seeds contain the young embryo that gives rise to the new plant. The embryo has three parts; a
young root (radicle), a young shoot (plumule) and one or two cotyledons which supply the
embryo with food. The number of cotyledons depends on the type of plant. Seeds that have one
cotyledon are Monocotyledon; those with two are called Dicotyledons. A very hard covering
called the testa protects the embryo and cotyledons. Also visible is a seed scar known as the
hilum, which is where seed was attached to the plant. Just above this is the micropyle, where the
pollen tubes enter the seed to fertilise.

Internal and External parts of a seed

Germination

After seeds have been dispersed if they are in suitable conditions, the will begin to grow into a
new plants or seedling. This is called germination. Seeds not only required nutrients in order to
germinate, they also need oxygen, suitable temperature and water.

• Seeds respire using oxygen from the air to break down the food inside them. This
provides the energy they need for growth.

• The temperature required for germination is not the same for all seeds. Seeds of tropical
plants will germinate at a higher temperature than seeds from plants that are found din the
colder climate. If the temperature is too high, the enzymes that are used in the chemical
reactions responsible for growth break down, preventing the seed from germination. Also
if the temperature is too low the rate of the reaction slow down which slows down or
stops the germination process.

• Water is vital to germination. During the germination water enters the seed via the
micropyle. This causes the seed to swell and the pressure eventually bursts open the testa,
making it easy for the fragile young plant to grow beyond it.

Types of Germination

One of two things can happen to the cotyledons. In some species such as peas and beans, they are
lifted out of the ground as the seedling germinates. This is called epigeal germination. In other,
such as maize, they are left below the ground. This is called hypogeal germination.
Method used for the production of crops

1. strip cropping: Strip cropping is a practice of growing field

crops in narrow strips either at right angles to the direction of the
prevailing wind, or following the natural contours of the terrain to
prevent wind and water erosion of the soil.

2. crop rotation: is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to
improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.

3. greenhouse farming: is the unique farm practice of growing crops

within sheltered structures covered by a transparent, or partially
transparent, material. The main purpose of greenhouses is to provide
favourable growing conditions and to protect crops from unfavourable
weather and various pests.

4. hydroponic: is a crop system that makes plants grow in a

nutrient-rich water solution; in other words, it does not use
soil.

5. organic farming: also known as ecological farming or biological farming, is an agricultural

system that uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone
meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation.

6. container gardening: is when plants are grown in

containers such as pots rather than into the ground.
Container gardening is for urban areas where having an
actual garden is not possible. It is space-efficient and
mobile, so it can be arranged to fit wherever you choose to
set up your garden.