Question

what are cotyledons ? what is their function in a seed ? how is a bean seed different from a Maize seed on the basis of number of cotyledons.

Answer 1

A cotyledon is part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Often when the seed germinates, or begins to grow, the cotyledon may become the first leaves of the seedling. Botanists use the number of cotyledons present in the seed of a plant as a means of classification. Monocots are seeds that have only one cotyledon, while dicots are plants with two cotyledons. The cotyledons are formed during the process of embryogenesis along with the roots and shoots of the plant prior to germination.
In dicot plants, the cotyledons are photosynthetic and function like leaves. The cotyledons are the first part of the plant to emerge from the soil. Some cotyledons last only days after growing from the soil and give way for other plant growth, while some cotyledons can last for years. The cotyledons are important for the new plant as it begins to grow because they contain the stored food reserves from the seed to give the plant its initial burst of energy to grow..

Answer 2

Definition:

Cotyledon or seed leaf is an important part of a seed that resides inside the seed and later on give rise to primary leaf in a plant.

Function:

The main function of a seed is to deliver food and nutrient to the plat when it grows. It is basically a stored food.

Difference between maize and bean:

Maize and bean seed are different because maize is a monocot, has one cotyledon and has a very thin, transparent seed coat or testa whereas bean seed is a dicot which means it has two dicotyledon. The coat or test is thick and firm in beans.