Dry seeds have a

Options

A. Highly negative water potential
B. Highly positive water potential
C. Zero water potential
D. Maximum water potential

Answer

To answer the question "Dry seeds have a," we need to analyze the water potential in dry seeds. Here’s a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand Water Potential
Water potential (Ψ) is a measure of the potential energy in water and is influenced by factors such as solute concentration and pressure. It is expressed in units of pressure (usually megapascals, MPa).

### Step 2: Identify the Condition of Dry Seeds
Dry seeds are essentially in a state where they have lost a significant amount of water. This state can be compared to plasmolyzed cells, which occur when plant cells lose water due to being placed in a hypertonic solution.

### Step 3: Analyze the Components of Water Potential
Water potential (Ψ) is composed of two main components:
- **Osmotic Potential (Ψs)**: This is the potential of water to move across a semipermeable membrane due to solute concentration. In dry seeds, the osmotic potential is negative because there are solutes present in the seed that create a pull for water.
- **Pressure Potential (Ψp)**: This is the physical pressure on the water in the system. In dry seeds, this pressure is nearly zero because there is little to no water present.

### Step 4: Determine the Water Potential of Dry Seeds
Since dry seeds have lost water, their pressure potential is close to zero, and their osmotic potential is negative. Therefore, the overall water potential (Ψ) of dry seeds is equal to the osmotic potential, which is negative.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Based on the analysis, we can conclude that dry seeds have a highly negative water potential.

### Final Answer:
Dry seeds have a **highly negative water potential**.

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