GERMINATION THE VITAL PHASE

GERMINATION THE VITAL PHASE

In the Earth there are diverse regions side by side and gardens of grapes and cultivated fields, and palm-trees sharing one root and others with individual roots, all watered with the same water. And We make some things better to eat than others. There are signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Qur’an, 13:4)

As described in the previous section, the first phase of development of a seed into a plant is its transportation. Then the germination begins. When a seed has matured, it usually does not germinate immediately, for in order to germinate, several different factors must come together at the same time. The right levels of heat, moisture and oxygen are necessary. If any one of these conditions is missing, the germination process stops. But when all these conditions are present, the quiescent seed comes to life.

In a fresh seed, the nutrient reserve is a rich, moist gel surrounding the embryo. As the seed dries, it hardens into a shape suitable for storage, and the nutrient reserve hardens too. Later, when the seed is moistened, the nutrient turns back into a liquid gel that nourishes the roots and stem until it sprouts leaves that can feed the plant. This process is easily observed in sweet corn, which is soft when fresh, but the corn hardens as it dries out. As fresh corn dries, its sugar turns into starch. But when moistened, this starch turns back into sugar. The seed needs water to undergo this chemical change.

For germination of a seed, the prime requirement is water. This is because there is no water in a mature seed’s embryo and there must be a moist environment in the cells for metabolism to be activated and for growth to take place. Moreover, water makes the enzymes necessary for growth more effective. When the seeds take in water and metabolic activity begins, the roots and shoots start to grow, and cell division takes place. Cells differentiate in order for specific functions to be carried out by specialized tissues.51
At this stage, oxygen becomes imperative. With respiration, the seed starts to produce from the nutrients it contains the heat and energy it needs to form new parts of the growing plant. The appropriate temperature, on the other hand, enables the enzymes to function at maximum speed.52
Nutrients are required for the seed to grow, but it doesn’t yet have a source it can draw on until it is ready to take in minerals through its roots. So how does the seed find the nutrients it needs to develop?
The answer to this question is hidden inside the seed. As has been detailed in previous sections, the reserve of nutrients that develops during the pollination process is used by the seed until its shoot emerges out of the earth. Until seedlings grow leaves capable of making their own food supply and roots to absorb nutrients from the soil, they are dependent on these nutrients stored within their structure.

Seeds Awakening from the Dormant Phase

When the conditions mentioned above prevail simultaneously, certain chemical processes take place within the seed. As mentioned above, before germination the seed is in a dormant state. The embryo remains dormant by the action of certain plant hormones, the most important of which is abscisic acid. The seed coat is dense and tough enough to prevent gas penetration and to restrict the activities of the embryo, which is another reason why it remains dormant. But when the seed gets water, its coat swells. Enzymes in the cells of the embryo are activated, producing a new hormone called gibberellin that counteracts the abscisic acid maintaining the dormant state. Once the effect of this acid is neutralized, the digestive enzyme alpha-amylase comes into play, breaking down the starch stored in the endosperm, making it available to the young plant as sugar and thus creating the energy necessary for cell division.53

When people plant a seed in the ground, they generally know nothing about these processes. A few days later when the seed germinates and begins to develop into a plant, they see it as a natural process, even though the processes are extremely complex. Once the right conditions are created, a sequence of chemical operations is performed: One enzyme acts on another to transform the seed into a plant. Thinking a little more deeply about these perfect systems, you will come face to face with the great fact of creation. If one component is missing, the others cannot be activated. It is obvious that such intricate systems cannot be the product of pure coincidence. Moreover, this perfect system doesn’t end with germination, but continues with even more miraculous processes.
When the seed starts germinating, it draws water from the earth, and the embryo cells start dividing. Then the seed coat opens. Little roots, the first outward sign of the plant’s root system, emerge and grow down into the earth. As the roots grow bigger, the earth starts to restrict them. But although subjected to extreme pressure, they are not damaged, since the newly forming cells at the tips of the roots are constantly active and provide protection as the root moves through the hard earth particles. The cells behind this protective layer (calyptra) have the ability to divide very swiftly and let the root grow by up to 11 cm a day. The roots branch as they develop, providing a greater surface area to take in water, while serving to anchor the plant more firmly in the earth. In addition, the tiny root hairs play an important role in increasing the plant’s capacity to draw essential minerals from the earth.54
The development of the roots is followed by the small buds that will produce the leaves. The seed is directed towards the light and constantly gains strength. When the shoot appears above ground and unfolds out its first foliage leaves, it starts to produce its own nutrients through photosynthesis.
What we have explained so far is common knowledge. Everyone has observed seeds come up. But in reality, a miracle happens when a seed weighing only a few grams has no difficulty in pushing its way up through a great weight of soil. The seed’s only aim is to reach the sunlight above. It is as though the slender stems of newly germinating plants are moving freely in an empty space rather than gradually making their way through something heavy, towards the light of day.
Trials have been conducted into blocking the seed’s access to the light by various means, with really surprising results. The seed manages to get to the light by putting out long shoots around obstacles in its path or by applying pressure from its growing tip. A seed’s sense of direction and determination to reach the light can be understood more easily by watching a time-lapse film version of its germination.
Since germinating seeds aim to reach the light, seedlings always move with the intent of surfacing above the soil. But a germinating seed’s growth takes place in two directions. While the sprout grows upwards, against gravity, the taproot delves down into the earth.
It’s really thought-provoking that two portions of the same plant can grow in completely opposite directions. How do both the sprout and roots know which direction to grow in?
The stimuli that direct a plant’s growth are light and gravity. In the emerging roots of a germinating seed are cells that can sense gravity, and there are light-sensitive cells in the upward-growing shoot. Due to these cells’ sensitivity, parts of the plant are guided in the right direction. These two guidance systems also ensure that if the roots and the shoot must progress in a horizontal direction, their direction is corrected as soon as possible.55
There is another interesting aspect to germinating seeds. Soil bacteria have the capacity to rot and break down organic matter, yet seeds and roots no more than half a millimeter in breadth are not damaged at all. On the contrary, they use the soil to maintain constant development and growth.
All of this shows us that plants are created and directed by a Power with superior knowledge. That is, a Being of supreme intelligence makes these decisions for the cells, creates all their structures, and shows them the direction they must go in to carry out their functions. This supreme intelligence is no other than God, Lord of the worlds. He creates a wonderful variety of plants from seeds that resemble lifeless pieces of wood and with these plants, gives life to the Earth:

We sent down a measured amount of water from heaven and lodged it firmly in the earth; and We are well able to remove it. By means of it We produce gardens of dates and grapes for you, in which there are many fruits for you and from which you eat. (Qur’an, 23:18-19)