The seedling has gained about a half inch in height, and what will become the first leaf has begun to emerge from the cotyledon. Things seem to be progressing slowly, and I’m hoping that a strong root system is developing. The soil has been staying damp longer than I expected, so I’ve been watering sparingly.
After a worrisome few weeks of inactivity, the bean has begun to sprout. While still small and dull in color, the shoot has emerged from the soil and should continue to unfurl in the coming days.
The process of germination begins as water is absorbed by the seed and growth enzymes are activated. The radicle and plumule emerge from the softened seed coat as the root and shoot from which the seedling will develop. As the shoot brings the cotyledon (the embryonic leaf) above ground, first leaves appear, eventually allowing the seedling to begin photosynthesizing, no longer reliant on food stored within the seed. In Figure 1, the cotyledon can be seen covering the tiny first leaves of the bean plant.
Welcome to the beginning of my bean-growing journey! I received this bean in a small pot of soil on a chilly Tuesday and was slightly concerned about making the trek home without any sort of insulation. Upon arrival at my apartment, I gave the freshly planted seed a douse of water and placed it in the sunniest spot in my kitchen other than the windowsill, where I feared it would freeze.
Figure 1 displays the structure of a bean seed, the embryonic stage of the seed-plant life cycle. The seed, developing from the ovule, contains an embryo surrounded by an endosperm, which serves as the food source for the developing embryo. This endosperm will later form the cotyledon, the initial embryonic leaves of the plant. The root of the embryo is known as the radicle, and its shoot is called the plumule. All of these components are surrounded by the seed coat, providing a protective structure for the organs contained within.