During what stages of plant development is the coleoptile present?

In monocotyledonous seeds, the plumule (embryonic shoot) is covered by a sheath called coleoptile, which is only present during the embryonic stage.

The sheath that surrounds the plumule in monocotyledonous seeds is called a coleoptile. Because it lacks an apical meristem, the coleoptile can only grow by elongating its cells.

When the seed germinates, the developing embryonic shoot is covered in a coleoptile, which shields the shoot's apical meristem from potential damage brought on by the frictional forces of the soil particles.

After emerging from the soil, the growing shoot ruptures the coleoptile because it can no longer grow without meristematic tissue; once it emerges from the soil, it is no longer in need of protection from soil particle frictional forces.

In monocotyledonous plants, like cereals and grasses, the coleoptile is a component of early plant development that develops from the seed during germination. Its function is to shield the emerging shoot as it moves through the soil toward the surface, where it begins photosynthesis. Once the shoot reaches the surface, the coleoptile loses its need and usually withers away.