PRACTICAL Name:

38 Germination and growth

1 2 3 4 5
You need:
■ cress and pea seeds ■ cotton wool
■ paper towels ■ test tubes and racks
■ 500 cm3 beakers ■ paraffin oil
■ balances ■ refrigerator
Warm Warm Cold Warm Warm
light air water air water air water water light
light air

Germination 5 Put cress seeds on damp cotton wool in tube 4

1 Label five test tubes 1 to 5.
2 Put cress seeds in tube 1 and place it in
a warm, well-lit place. These seeds have
warmth, air and light but no water.
3 Put cress seeds on damp cotton wool in tube 2
and place it in a warm dark place. These seeds
have warmth, air and water but no light.
4 Put cress seeds on damp cotton wool in
tube 3 and place it in a refrigerator. These
seeds have water and air but no warmth
or light.
and place it in a warm, well-lit place. These seeds
have warmth, water, air and light.
6 Put cress seeds in tube 5 and cover them with
boiled and cooled water (boiling drives oxygen
out of the water), then pour a little paraffin
oil onto the water to keep oxygen out. Place
the tube in a warm, well-lit place. These seeds
have warmth, water and light but no oxygen.
7 Examine the tubes after about three days.
In which tubes have seeds germinated?
What conditions are necessary for seeds to
germinate?

Growth curves
If you weigh organisms as they grow and plot your results on a
graph the result is a curved shape called a growth curve. Plot two
Paper
different growth curves as follows. towels
1 Soak 40 peas in water for 12 hours, then wrap them in wet paper
toweling. Put the wrapped peas in beakers of water in a warm,
dark place (see diagram).
2 Every three days remove five seedlings and find their average
Water
weight. Then heat them at 100 8C until they are completely dry,
and find their average weight again. Plot graphs for wet and dry
weight changes.
3 Explain why the wet and dry growth curves are different. What
conclusions can you draw about the early growth of plants from
these results?

Your teacher will be looking for:

■ careful use of the apparatus given
■ accurate observations and measurements
■ good presentation of results including tables and graphs
■ sensible conclusions which fit your results

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