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SEED GERMINATION LAB

Objectives: Students will be able to move past the misconception that plants use
photosynthesis, not cell division, to grow
Materials:

 Quick-germinating seeds, such as monggo seed

 Water
 2 Paper towel or coffee filter
 Light source
 Dark cabinet
 2 Large petri dish with lid, or an old CD case with clear sides (if you’re using a CD case,
open it and remove the plastic insert that holds the CD, being careful not to break the
case)
 Lidless, straight-sided plastic container wide enough to set the petri dish or CD case
inside, on its edge, as shown in the photo
 Two rubber bands big enough to fit around the open container
 Metric ruler with millimeter markings
 Magnifying glass if available
Background:
The cell cycle is the series of molecular events that allows cells to duplicate and
segregate their chromosomes to form new cells. Seed germination appears to be an
excellent model system for studying the cell cycle in plants. Imbibition will reactivate
meristematic cells – most initially with a G1 DNA content – into the cell cycle in
preparation for seedling establishment. (Vazques- Ramos and Sanchez, 2007) The
purpose of this lab is for you to experience how seed germinates, what is required
happening at the organismal level. To test this, you are going to put 4 seeds in water
and put into a cabinet. You will put the exact same set up in a second case next to a
window. Over the next 3 days, you will observe if any of the seeds will generate.
Hypothesis:
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Procedure

Assembly

1. Soak the seeds overnight in water.

2. Set aside the top of the petri dish, or open the CD case. Cut the paper towel (or coffee
filter) to fit inside.

3. With a ruler and pencil, draw a straight line across the middle of the paper towel. Lay the
marked-up paper in the bottom of the dish (or inside the CD case) so the line sits
horizontally across the center. If you’re using a CD case, be sure the hinged edge is at the
top or side (not bottom).

4. Pour a little water into the dish to wet the paper towel. Smooth out any bubbles and tip out
any extra water not absorbed by the paper. Later, when you stand the dish on its edge, the
wet paper should remain stuck to the inside of the dish or CD case.

5. Place 6 to 10 seeds on the paper towel, evenly spaced along the reference line. Then put
the lid on the petri dish, or close the CD case.

6. Stretch the rubber bands, set close to one another, around the center of the straight-sided
plastic container (see photo below). Stand the petri dish (or CD case) between the rubber
bands, and adjust the setup so it’s secure, standing on edge, upright in the container. With
gentle handling, the seeds should stick to the moistened paper towel. If they move, put
them back in their places on the line.

7. Pour water into the container to a depth of about 1 inch (2 to 3 cm). The water should
seep into the petri dish or CD case and contact the paper towel, keeping it moist as the
seedlings begin to sprout.
 8. Put your seed germinator in a warm place (room temperature or slightly higher), away from
direct sunlight.

9. Repeat steps 2 to 7 but you will you are going to put the setup into a cabinet.

To Do and Notice

Check on your seeds once or twice a day, and notice what changes or emerges (see photo
below). (It’s fine to open the seed germinator; just handle it carefully so the seeds don’t move.)
Do shoots with green tips emerge first, or do white roots emerge first? Do each seed’s roots and
shoots sprout in the same direction, or in different directions? Use a magnifying glass to
examine the growing structures in more detail. How do they change over time?

Measure the growth of the roots and shoots over time. You may want to collect data to graph
average root length vs. time, and average shoot length vs. time. (Note that it’s helpful to
measure time in total elapsed hours, rather than days.) Which grows faster, the shoots or the
roots? Show your data as graph on your discussion

Variables:
Independent:_________________________________________________________
Dependent:___________________________________________________________
Constants:___________________________________________________________
Control Group:_______________________________________________________

Data Table:

Experimental Errors:
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Conclusion:
Do you confirm or reject you hypothesis?________________________
What evidence supports why you confirmed or rejected your hypothesis?
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Driving question: Can seeds germinate without photosynthesis (light)?

Challenge Question:
Write a 3 evidence claim evidence reasoning paragraph. The claim answers the driving
question, your evidence is from the data table and use the digram below for help with reasoning
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 Rubric for Formal Lab Reports in Biology
Please follow the Science Laboratory Report Form we used last school year
CATEGORY Exceptional (4) Satisfactory (3) Unsatisfactory (2) Poor (1)
Introduction Your introduction clearly Your introduction Your introduction There is no
states the purpose of the states the purpose of states the purpose of introduction.
lab and you explicitly the lab and the the lab, but not the
state the variables that variables to be variables that will be
are to be studied. studied. studied.

Experimental Hypothesized relationship Hypothesized Hypothesized No hypothesis

between the variables
Hypothesis and the predicted results
is clear and reasonable
based on what has been
studied.
Materials All materials and setup
used in the experiment
are clearly and accurately
described. Drawings
included as appropriate.
relationship between relationship between has been
the variables and the the variables and the stated.
predicted results is predicted results has
reasonable based on been stated, but
general knowledge appears to be based
and observations. on flawed logic.
Almost all materials Most of the materials Many materials
and the setup used in and the setup used in are described
the experiment are the experiment are inaccurately
clearly and accurately OR are not
described. accurately described. described at all.

Procedures Procedures are listed in Procedures are listed Procedures are listed Procedures
clear steps. Each step is in a logical order, but but are not in a logical do not
numbered and is a steps are not numbered order or are difficult to accurately list
complete sentence. and/or are not in follow. the steps of
complete sentences. the
experiment.

Data Professional looking Accurate Accurate Data are not

and accurate representation of the representation of the shown OR
representation of the data in tables and/or data in written form, are
data in tables and/or graphs. Graphs and but no graphs or inaccurate.
graphs. Graphs and tables are labeled and tables are presented.
tables are labeled and titled. Drawings are
titled. Drawings are included when
included as necessary necessary.
Analysis and
The are well labeled.
relationship between The relationship The relationship The
the variables is discussed between the variables between the variables relationship
and trends/patterns is discussed and is discussed but no between the
logically analyzed. trends/patterns logically patterns, trends or variables is not
Predictions are made analyzed. predictions are made discussed.
about what might happen based on the data.
if part of the lab

were changed or how

the experimental design
could be changed.
 Conclusion Conclusion includes Conclusion includes Conclusion includes No conclusion
whether the findings whether the findings what was learned was included
supported the hypothesis, supported the from the experiment. in the report
possible sources of error, hypothesis and what OR shows
and what was learned from was learned from the little effort and
the experiment. experiment. reflection.

References:
1. Vázquez-Ramos and Sánchez (2007). The cell cycle and seed germination. Received
from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/SSR2003130Published online by Cambridge
University Press: 22 February 2007
2. https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/seed-germinator