The correct option is (c) 2 and 3 only.
Explanation
In the sexual reproduction of seed-bearing plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms), the embryo represents the early developmental stage of the sporophyte generation. It is the product of fertilization and serves as the precursor to the new individual plant.Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Incorrect: The embryo is not formed directly from the pollen grain. The pollen grain represents the male gametophyte, which carries the male gametes. The embryo is formed only after the male gamete released by the pollen grain fuses with the female gamete (egg cell) inside the ovule.
- Statement 2 is Correct: Following fertilization, the entire ovule matures into a seed. The seed acts as a protective vessel that encloses the developing embryo, along with nutritive tissue (such as endosperm or cotyledons), within a protective seed coat.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The process of syngamy (fertilization) results in the formation of a diploid zygote. This zygote undergoes mitotic cell divisions and differentiation to develop into the embryo, which contains the radicle (future root) and plumule (future shoot).
Key Takeaway: The plant embryo develops from the diploid zygote resulting from fertilization, not directly from the haploid pollen grain, and is housed within the seed which develops from the ovule.