What Are the Stages of Bean Seed Growth?

The growth of a bean seed is called germination. Germination is how bean seeds become bean plants, or bean stalks, depending on the circumstances. Beans consist of several distinct parts, all of which have specific functions, such as the cotyledon, also known as the seed leaves. Seeds can be broken into categories based on how many cotyledon they have. Monocots have one cotyledon. Corn is a monocot. Dicots are seeds with two cotyledon. Most beans fall into the dicot category.

- The seed swells and the radicle, which is the embryonic root, breaks through the seed coat, the protective outer covering of the seed, at the micropyle. The micropyle is a weak spot in the seed coat where the radicle escapes into the growing medium.
- The radicle develops and grows smaller roots while the hypocotyl, the connection between the radicle and the cotyledon, develops into a hook and pushes the growing seed toward the surface. The cotyledon is still intact, holding the food necessary to make the plant grow until the leaves can break the surface and provide the plant with energy from the sun.
- The hypocotyl pushes up through the soil and starts to straighten. The epicotyl, which is a more mature shoot stem and leaves, begins to show, while the cotyledon opens more to allow access to sunlight. The root system continues to mature.
- The bean plant's stem continues to straighten as the true leaves uncurl. The cotyledon falls away, and the plant begins photosynthesis to replace the lost fuel. The last remnants of the seed coat disappear at this time.
- The bean plant is mature enough at this point to start growing above ground and producing its own beans.

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