Question

Name the cell from which the endosperm of coconut develops. Give the characteristic
features of endosperm of coconut.

Answer 1

Hint:-The endosperm is a tissue that is produced within the seeds of most of the flowering plants following the process of fertilization. It is triploid in most of the species. It surrounds the growing embryo and provides it with the required nutrition.

Complete Answer:-
The primary endosperm nucleus (3n) undergoes triple fusion and develops the
endosperm in coconut which then divides repeatedly to form a triploid endosperm tissue. Thus the
development of endosperm precedes the development of embryos in the coconut.
The formation of endosperm in coconut is of two types as follows:-
(a) The Nuclear type: It occurs in about 55% of those angiosperms. In it, the PEN undergoes repeated mitotic divisions without cytokinesis. Examples include the water of coconut. It is made up of thousands of nuclei and is also known as a liquid syncytium.
(B) The Cellular type: In this type, the cell wall formation occurs and thus the endosperm becomes cellular type. Examples include the internal white edible part of the coconut. It is also known as the white kernel.

Note:- In grains of the Poaceae family, the endosperm persists to the mature seed stage as a storage tissue, in which case, the seeds are called albuminous or endosperms while in the Fabaceae family, it is absorbed during embryo development. In this case, the seeds are called albuminous or dicotyledonous while the function of the storage tissue is performed by enlarged cotyledons (seed leaves). In certain species of corn, the storage function is distributed equally between both endosperm and embryo.