Grain filling 17 to 21 days

Embryo micrographs


The embryo digests the contents of the endosperm cells closest to the scutellum producing the 'crushed cell layer'. Processes involved in breaking down the endosperm in this area are probably similar to those used to break down endosperm during seed germination.
(same as above)
In a beam of polarized light the Type 'A' and Type 'B' starch grains diffract the light producing a characteristic 'Maltese Cross'. The type 'A' grains are larger than the type 'B' and are produced first.
20 days after flowering and the embryo is developing very rapidly. The shoot pole now has a coleoptile enclosing primordial leaves and the root pole has a differentiated root cap. Inside the root we can see the cell files of the stele and the cortex. The small flap of tissue in the middle of the dorsal side is the epiblast, which has little morphological significance (allegedly).