Bio Lab Germination Project PDF

Preview

Summary

lab on germination...

Description

Jillian Barber May 12, 2017 Affect of Soil on Sunflower Seeds Introduction I am interested in finding out the impact soil has on a seed’s growth through comparing that to a seed planted on a moist paper towel. For this experiment, I chose sunflower seeds to plant in two petri dishes on my deck. I believe that the seeds will both grow one way or another, but the seeds planted in the soil will grow faster over two weeks. My research aimed to answer the question: Is soil the most effective method of growing plants or are there alternatives that would grow seeds faster, taller, etc.? Methods On April 24th, I planted 6 sunflower seeds in two containers, one consisting on soil and one consisting of a moist paper towel. I laid the petri dishes on my deck with the other potted plants I have growing out there to get the full benefit of sunlight and warmth. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I would water them and check on their growing status. After one week of being planted, Maryland had a windy storm which blew my petri dished off of the deck. Although the soil and seeds spilled out, I was able to recover them enough to continue my project. I was able to spate the seeds back in their original container because at this point in my experiment, the seeds planted in the soil (visibly still had soil on them) had already started to sprout green while the clean seeds on the towel were closed. Results Table 1. Raw data. The Growth of Sunflower Seeds in Soil vs. Moist Paper Towel Observation

Day Observed 1 2 3 4

Growth on Paper Towel 5 0mm

8 10 14

0mm 0mm 2mm

Growth in Soil 0mm 1mm 4mm 9mm

10 9

9 8 7 6 5 4

4 3 2

2

2

1 0

0 Day 5 0

Day 8 0 Soil

Day 100

Day 14

Paper Towel

Figure 1. A representation of the growth of sunflower seeds in soil vs. on a paper towel Soil made the sunflowers grow faster and healthier whereas the paper towel took longer for them to sprout and rotten the seed before it would grow any further as a plant. Conclusion By day 14, my hypothesis was shown to be accurate. The sunflower seeds planted in soil grew faster and healthier than those on the moist paper towel. Although I had a setback due to weather half way through, I was able to recover my seeds and continue on. I don’t believe the setback affected the seeds growth to any extent. The sunflower in the soil consistently grew after opening up just a few days after being planted. The seeds on the moist paper towel however too longer to open up, and when they did, their sprout was brown rather than green. Ultimately, I expected the results I received from the experiments and the growth of the seeds in soil. I was, however, slightly surprised that after the seeds sprouted on the paper towel that they had rotted. I expected them to either grow moldy or not sprout at all, yet all that happened was they tried to sprout and died due to lack of nourishment from the paper towel. SFGATE also supported my findings by not only stating soil is likely to have them grow faster, but its also a more effective method when it comes from transferring plants. Whether it’s a potted plant in

soil, or seeds germinating in a paper towel, one will typically move seeds to the ground after germination. SFGATE brought to my attention how it would be easier to transfer plants from soil because they can continue growing in the soil they’re already in whereas the seeds from the paper towel are much more fragile and harder to safely transfer. Soil has been shown to nurture and develop seeds faster than some alternatives. Although my research did not prove that soil is the fastest method overall, but it showed how different of an impact it can have versus a lacking alternative. Based on my results, soil is the fastest method I have ever encountered and I would recommend using soil (via potted plant or in ground garden) to most effectively and efficiently sprout your seeds. Literature Cited SFGATE. 2017. Is it Better to Start Seeds in Soil or in Paper Towels? http://homeguides.sfgate.com/betterstart-seeds-soil-paper-towels-41005.html...