Question

Why do boiled seeds fail to sprout?

Answer 1

Hint: As we know sprouting is a natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants which produce new leaves or buds or other newly developing parts experience further growth. This term signifies the practice of germinating seeds in order to be either eaten raw or cooked, which is believed to be highly nutritious.

Complete answer:
Many seeds which have hard shells need to be treated to allow water to penetrate them to germinate the embryo inside, this is a process which is called scarification. Scarification is done mechanically, thermally, and chemically. The seeds of many plant species are often impervious to water and gases, thus it prevents or delays germination.

The boiled seeds do not sprout, this is because boiling denatures or damages certain enzymes or proteins which are essential for germination. Therefore, boiling can kill the seeds. Seeds require moisture and also air for sprouting. When the seeds are boiled moisture content will be lost and enzymes or proteins are being killed.Boiling the seeds destroys the cell organelles which are required for germination. Therefore, they fail to grow.

Hence, boiling kills all the living properties of seeds, so only living seed can be germinated and converted to sprouts.

Note: Sprouting is an example of germination. Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or similar structure while sprouting is a process by which a seed is developed into a digestible form that provides different nutritional factors. This is the difference between germination and sprouting. For both processes, the presence of viable seed is very important.