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Plant Seeds
Plant seeds are small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants, which occurs after fertilization and growth within the mother plant. Seeds have been an important development in the reproduction and spread of flowering plants, relative to more primitive plants like mosses, ferns and liverworts, which do not have seeds and use other means to propagate themselves. Plant seeds serve several functions for the plants that produce them. Key among these functions is nourishment of the embryo, dispersal to a new location, and dormancy during unfavorable conditions. Seeds fundamentally are a means of reproduction and most seeds are the product of sexual reproduction which produces a remixing of genetic material and phenotype variability that natural selection acts on. Any reliable seed house can be depended upon for good seeds; but even so, there is a great risk in storing and maintaining seeds. Even though plant seeds appear in good condition, it may not have the vitality to produce a healthy plant.
It is possible to buy plant seeds at local shops, nurseries or online shops but many times, it is very convenient to collect them from your own plants and store carefully. This helps to get away with impure seeds that may create trouble later. They are sometimes mixed with other seeds so like them in appearance that it is impossible to detect the fraud. Viability of seeds is very important and this will be ensured only if they are collected only when they reach maturity and ripen. Seeds retain their viability or germ developing power, a given number of years and are then useless. There is a viability limit in years, which differs for different seeds. The seed packets mention the recommended growing time before planting them outside, which is usually after the frost date in the particular area. Before sowing the plant seeds including flower garden seeds, you need to treat them so that they remain safe from harmful insects. Nonetheless some seeds will have particular method for this purpose. A large amount perennial plant seeds necessitate a cold time, which imitates winter. Let seeds remain outside in the fall or make use of a cold frame to get the best. Several times seeds are made to undergo scarification, which is meant to coarsen the seed coat in order to allow more water absorption by the seed. Plant seeds are of enormous use in today’s world. The world's most important clothing fiber grows attached to cotton seed. Other seed fibers are from kapok and milkweed. Many important nonfood oils are extracted from seeds. For example, Linseed oil is used in paints. Oil from jojoba and crambe are similar to whale oil. Also, seeds are a vital source of some medicines including castor oil, tea tree oil and the discredited cancer drug, Laetrile. Many seeds have been used often as beads in necklaces and rosaries in the past.