Question

Which of the following plant produces non-albuminous seeds ?

• A. Pea
• B. Wheat
• C. Maize
• D. Barley

Hint:

• As a general rule of thumb, most dicots produce non-albuminous seeds (exception: Castor is a dicot but produces albuminous seeds).

• Most monocots produce albuminous seeds (exception: Orchids are monocots but produce non-albuminous seeds).

• In some seeds, such as black pepper and beet, remnants of the nucellus also persist; this residual, persistent nucellus is called perisperm.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Recall the two seed types.
Seeds are either non-albuminous (no endosperm left at maturity) or albuminous (endosperm persists as a food store).
Step 2: Understand non-albuminous seeds.
In these, the developing embryo eats up all the endosperm and stores the food in fleshy cotyledons instead. Examples are pea, gram, groundnut and beans.
Step 3: Understand albuminous seeds.
Here the endosperm is not fully used up and remains in the mature seed. Examples are wheat, maize, barley and castor.
Step 4: Examine pea.
Pea is a dicot whose embryo absorbs all the endosperm, so the mature seed is non-albuminous.
Step 5: Examine wheat, maize and barley.
These are cereal monocots that keep a large endosperm in the mature seed, making them albuminous.
Step 6: Conclude.
Only pea produces non-albuminous seeds among the choices.
\[ \boxed{\text{Pea}} \]