The seeds are doing something!
So as mentioned on the page Sowing the seeds I said that I needed to leave the seeds for three months in the dark to allow the protocorms to form that will then allow the seeds to produce either root or shoot (Somerville, 2011). Well some miracle has happened and the seeds have started doing something....i'm really happy but it is not the final result
I checked in on the seed and I was very excited so thought I would take some photos under the microscope!!
But first.....here is a diagram of the process.
I checked in on the seed and I was very excited so thought I would take some photos under the microscope!!
But first.....here is a diagram of the process.
Figure 0: Orchid seed and undeveloped embryo. Figure 1: Embryo starts to swell. Figure 2: Protocorm is starting to form, hairs start to develop and separates from seed coat. Figure 3: Protocorm continues to swell and more absorbant hairs start to form. Figure 4: Whole plant starts to elongate and shoot starts to appear. Figure 5: Shoot (leaf) appears and roots start to become bigger. (Stewart, 2002)
I'm sorry about the photos not being in order but the captions should help you understand!
So far it looks like that the majority of the seeds are doing well on both mediums but it is un-certain what the final result will be. I need to leave them for another few weeks until moving them into the light.
The reason why they need to be left in the light is because when they start forming larger bulbs and more hairs, they will need to start to photosynthesise as the medium alone will not be enough to generate food and energy. The seeds that have not formed enormous protocorms will be left for a couple more weeks into the light (Somerville, 2011).
They are left in the light for an additional three months to photosynthesise, this is when they will hopefully start to form a shoot. When and if this has happened, I will be able to collect the adequate data to complete my dissertation.
The reason why they need to be left in the light is because when they start forming larger bulbs and more hairs, they will need to start to photosynthesise as the medium alone will not be enough to generate food and energy. The seeds that have not formed enormous protocorms will be left for a couple more weeks into the light (Somerville, 2011).
They are left in the light for an additional three months to photosynthesise, this is when they will hopefully start to form a shoot. When and if this has happened, I will be able to collect the adequate data to complete my dissertation.