Seed Germination Lab Set-Up

APES Student Set Up - Seed Germination Lab

Set-up/Procedure:

1.  A set Petri dishes marked with the percent salt solution will be provided to you.

0%, .01%, .1%, .5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0%, 4.0%

2.  Using a pencil only, draw pie shaped sections on the filter paper according to the number of each variety of seeds that you have. Put one circle paper in each Petri dish

3.  Measure out 7 ml of solution and put into the appropriately marked Petri dish over the paper. Rinse out your graduated cylinder after each solution. Repeat the process until you have used all 8 solutions.

4.  Load 10 of one type of seed in one section that you have drawn on paper. Then put 10 of another type of seed in the next section, etc. The seeds should be wet and covered but not floating about in the dish

5.  When you have all 8 Petri dishes loaded with the appropriate solution and seeds, mark them with your groups number and carefully (to not move them) put them all into a designated space in the classroom.

Lab write up: (one per group) Must be done in digital form and following this format. Make sure all sections are labeled with the following titles and easily distinguishable.

1.  The Title - come up with your own title that communicates the exact purpose of this lab

2.  The Question - (The question should be written as a statement.)

3.  Hypothesis - For each seed type in each solution predict the percentage of germination. You may construct a table to show the numeric hypothesis. You did a rough draft remember?

4.  Materials – What did you use to perform this experiment?

5.  Procedure – What was your process – see above

6.  Results - should include data and graphs that show effects of increasing concentration of salts on germination of your seeds.

a.  Data Table 1 - Your groups germination data in numbers of seeds

b.  Data Table 2 - Class data in percent of germination

c.  Graph 1 - Your groups seed number (vertical axis) vs % NaCl solution (horizontal axis) 1 line for each seed type.

d.  Graph 2 - Class data percent germination (vertical axis) vs % NaCl solution (horizontal axis) 1 line for each seed type

1. Conclusions-should include statements about each one of the following sections a-h, label each of the following sections in your conclusion accordingly:

a.  Your hypothesis (talk about each seed type and what you expected and how that may have differed from the class results). Use numbers from your data charts.

b.  Recommendations to farmers about what plants crops grow under what conditions. (Talk about each seed type and its range of tolerance to soil salinity and how that relates to % germination)

c.  The effects of different forms of irrigation and their relation to salinization and its effects on plants (see pgs. 247-248, 289)

d.  Recommendations of crop plants, other than those tested that might be more tolerant of high salinities. (research)

e.  The Threshold Level of Toxicity (this is the exact % NaCl in which you saw an affect in germination ex: one seed did not germinate or less than 100%) and LD-50 (this is the exact % NaCL on your graph where 50% of your seeds did not germinate) for each seed type. Use your class graph to find the exact salt concentration.

f.  A plan to remediate the soils if the salt concentration reaches toxic levels. (research)

g.  Recommendations for alternative irrigation methods tailored to the specific crops. List the type of irrigation and explain how it works and how it would reduce water use as well as salinity.

h.  Information you researched on the extent of the problems of salinization of the soils of the world and specifically the US.

8.  Bibliography- Wikipedia is not allowed as a source. Use the following resources to cite your work properly. http://www.easybib.com/ Insert the web address where you got your picture or information and it will walk you through the steps. Make sure you site the document in your text (Author, date published).