(Posted:13-Jun-2015)

All living things need to produce to proceed their generation. Otherwise they will become extinct. Flowering plants reproduce by making seeds. Before a seed can grow into a new plant they have to be fertilized by pollen. Pollen comes from another plant during a process called pollination. Pollination and fertilization take place in the flower of the plant. Sexual reproduction in a flowering plant has FOUR main stages Pollination: This is when pollen lands on a new flower Fertilization: This is when the pollen and the seed meet Seed dispersal: This is when the seed is spread around, away from the plant that made it Germination : This is when the seed, having reached the ground, starts to grow into a new plant. Pollination: A plant is pollinated when pollen from another flower reaches it. Pollen is a yellow dust and it has to reach the stigma of the plant being pollinated. The pollen has to be carried from the stamen of one flower to the stigma of another. It is usually carried by bees (or other small animals) but it can be carried by the wind. Fertilization: After pollination fertilization takes place. This is when the pollen and the ovule join together to make a seed. The seed also contains a food store, usually starch. The part of the flower surrounding the seed is known as the fruit. After fertilization the petals and stamens wither and die. The ovary (which forms the fruit) swells up, sometimes considerably. (ie as in the apple) Seed dispersal: The job of the fruit is to carry the seeds as far as possible from the parent plant so the new plants have room to grow and do not compete for resources such as light, water and nutrients in the soil. Germination: Germination is the process by which the seed actually starts to grow. Conditions needed for germination The seed will not germinate untill it gets warm. As well as warmth the seed also needs oxygen and water to grow. Without all three (Water, oxygen and warmth) the seed will not grow. The germination period is time between planting and starting to germinate.