Statement I: The coconut water from tender coconut is free-nuclear endosperm, made up of thousands of nuclei.
Statement II: The surrounding white kernel of the coconut is the perisperm (persistent nucellus).
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
Statement I: The coconut water from tender coconut is free-nuclear endosperm, made up of thousands of nuclei. — True. After triple fusion, the primary endosperm nucleus (PEN) divides again and again, but no cell walls form between the new nuclei. This stage is the free-nuclear endosperm. The watery part of a tender coconut is this stage.
Statement II: The surrounding white kernel of the coconut is the perisperm (persistent nucellus). — False. Later, cell walls form and the endosperm becomes cellular. The white kernel is this cellular endosperm. Perisperm is a different tissue: the remains of the nucellus that persist in a few seeds, such as black pepper and beet.
NCERT Extract:
Endosperm – “… In the most common type of endosperm development, the PEN undergoes successive nuclear divisions to give rise to free nuclei. This stage of endosperm development is called free-nuclear endosperm. Subsequently cell wall formation occurs and the endosperm becomes cellular. The number of free nuclei formed before cellularisation varies greatly. The coconut water from tender coconut that you are familiar with, is nothing but free-nuclear endosperm (made up of thousands of nuclei) and the surrounding white kernel is the cellular endosperm.”
Seed – “… Occasionally, in some seeds such as black pepper and beet, remnants of nucellus are also persistent. This residual, persistent nucellus is the perisperm.”