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The Life Cycle of Plant
The-life cycle of any species-plants or animals is the biologic processes of development which take place between any given point in any organism's life-span and the same point in the life-span of its offspring. For bacteria (earth quadrates )43 and plant bacteria,44 bluegreens (algae = Saivala )45 which reproduce by splitting (a kind of asexual reproduction), the life cycle is extremely simple. According to modern Biology, "The filamentous green algae, such as Ulothrix, have a cycle during most of which, the colony consists of haploid cells which multiply asexually by mitosis."46
In the higher plants there are clearly found their life-cyclestages of infancy, youth and age47 like those of human body, etc. Parasitic plants48 have complex life cycles involving host organisms.49
Jaina Biology
According to Jaina Biology, the plants show an act of generation - generation which reproduces asexually by spores.50 It is known as the sporophyte. Besides, they are reproduced from the root, the knot and stem.51 The life-cycle of such plants consists of the production of haploid spores by the sporophyte. The relative size and duration of the different sporophyte generations vary considerably. The sporophyte is the familiar, visible tree, shrub or herb.
Germination of the Seed and Embryonic Development
Jaina biology throws some welcome light upon the germination of the seed and embryomic development. When the seeds are ripe, they are shed from the parent plant, but a few of them do germinate shortly after being shed; most of them remain dormant during the cold 43. Sūtrakṛtānga, Book 1, Lecture 7, V. I; Puḍhavi ya au aganīya vāū; Gommaṭasāra 73 (Jivakända ).
44. Bhagavati, 7.3.275-7; Gommajasara, V. 189. (Jivakända ); Panṇavana 1.54 (Sadharanasariravanaspati kayikas).
45. Sūtrakṛtānga II. 3.54.(Sevālattae); Pannavaņā I. 54. (Jalarubā-sevāla ). 46. Biology, p. 178.
47. "Yatha purusaśariram balakumarayuvavṛddhatapariņāmaviseṣavat."....tathedam vanaspati gariram ", Şaḍdarśanasamuccaya, V. 49, Tarkarahasyadipika. Gunaratna, p. 157.
48. "Ihegatiya satta rukkhajoniya rukkhasambhava rukkhavukkamā ...rukkhajoniesu rukkhattae viuttamti, te jiva tesim rukkhajoṇiyāṇam rukkhāṇam sinehamaharemti Sūtrakṛtänga, II. 3.45; Nāṇāvihāņam tasathavarāṇam poggalāṇaṁ sarïresu vā, sacittesu va, acittesu vã, anusuyattae viuṭṭamti ", Ibid., II. 3.58. 49. Ibid.
50. Sūtrakṛtānga II. 3.43.1
51. "Aggabiyā mūlabiya porabiya khaṁdhabiya", Ibid., II. 3.43.
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