Corn Embryo
August 24, 2023
Photographer: Greg Parker
Summary Authors: Greg Parker; Jim Foster
Featured above is a 12-frame mosaic showing the cross-section of a corn embryo (from a prepared slide). This embryo is the germ of the grain, housing a miniature corn plant replete with preformed leaves, a radicle root, lateral and seminal roots and a coleoptile. Additionally, it contains an oil-rich storehouse of nutrients (cotyledon) that's critical to the germination process. Corn or maize (Zea mays L) is one of the world's most important crops and is evidently the only cereal crop originating in the western hemisphere. World-wide, in 2022 some 1,151 million metric tons were produced; wheat placed 2nd at 784 million metric tons.
Photo details: L3000BHGT research trinocular microscope at a magnification of x50 and imaged with a Canon 5D MkII DSDLR camera. Image is hugely reduced from the original 836Mb TIF file.
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