Researchers Uncover The Development Of Plant Embryos

We probably don't really think about exactly what's involved in the creation of a plant, but a seed is actually carrying an embryo. It is als also carrying a very important food storage that will later be needed for the initial growth of the seedling, to soon blossom into a plant.

New research published in journal The Plant Cell goes in further depth regarding how plants start out and grow, specifically discussing how some seeds do not receive enough energy to grow when it's time to germinate. 

A research team led by Carnegie Institution's Wolf Frommer identified biochemical pathways that are important for stocking up seed supplies necessary for the parent plant and that are later accessed by the embryo. This is particularly important because if enough food is not properly delivered in the beginning, the seeds will not receive enough energy to grow when it's time to germinate, which was previous research has failed to properly document this in the past.

During the study, researchers identified three members of the SWEET family of sugar transport proteins necessary to help deliver sugars produced in plant leaves to embryonic plants inside of a seed.

For the study, Frommer as well as researchers at the University of British Columbia discovered that SWEETS 11, 12 and 15 funnel sucrose through multiple pathways as they are developing plant embryos.

"Our findings answer long-held questions about embryonic plant nutrition and have major potential importance for improving crop yields," Frommer concluded, explaining why some fail to properly germinate the coating of the seed.  

For more information regarding the findings, click here.