Germination is where a plant emerges from its seed and begins to grow. The most common one is a seedling growing from a seed, however there are other ways as well such as growing hyphae from spores. The conditions required for germination may vary depending on the plant, however there are a number of factors that are always required for all types of germination. The most important outside factors are water, oxygen and heat for a plant seed to germinate. Water is taken up by a process called imbibition and is needed for the metabolism of the seed as well as for breaking the seed coat by making the seed swell. The second factor, oxygen is needed so that the seed can respire aerobically to convert its energy stores into energy that it can use for growing. The next factor, heat, is needed for growth, with the temperature affecting the rate of growth. Most seeds also have a range of temperatures between which they will germinate and it is necessary to keep them in that range. Different types and species of seeds have different temperature ranges so it is important to know it for the given plant species. Some plant are also affected by the light, most importantly those growing in forests will only germinate if there is enough light piercing the canopy above them. In conclusion although most seeds differ they all require 3 vital conditions that are water oxygen and hear respectively, with some also needing light to germinate.
