SEED GERMINATION

Introduction

The process of seed germination is much more complicated than it would appear.
Germination is a biochemical process that involves the activation of many chemical reactions.
This happens in three stages.

The first stage of seed germination involves the uptake of water. This is called
imbibition. During imbibition the protein synthesizing systems are activated and various
enzymes are synthesized. These enzymes catalyze reactions used in the second stage of
germination.

The second stage of germination involves the breakdown of the stored energy rich
compounds of the cotyledons and endosperm. The second stage is a period of readying the
embryo for rapid growth during the third stage.

During the third stage of germination, cell division begins and the embryo grows into a
seedling. The first growth occurs in the radicle, and the root system is established. This is
followed by the emergence of the plumule. Once the seedling has formed leaves it becomes a
self-sufficient plant.

Objective

1. To learn the basic steps of a germination test and to carry out simple tests on some
important crops.

Materials

40 Seeds of corn/rice
40 seeds of mongo
Paper Towels/Tissue
Water
Coconut water (preferably from matured coconut)
Plastic Bottle/ container/sprayer
Flat plastic container/ food container
Ruler
Camera
Procedure
1. Fourty (40) seeds from monocot plants (corn/rice) and dicot plants (mongo) will be
tested with two (2) treatments. Treatment 1 – control (plain water) and Treatment 2 –
coconut water. Each treatment will consist of 20 seed samples.
2. The seeds will be placed on a paper towel (2-4 sheets) on the bottom of a plastic
container, different plastic containers will be used for each treatment (4 plastic
containers).
3. Each paper towel will be dampened with water or coconut water. Label each container
according to treatments to avoid confusion.
4. The paper towels will be checked daily and moistened as needed.
5. The plastic container will be placed in a cool dry place and will be exposed only to
sunlight on the 8-10th day from set-up of the experiment or when true leaves developed.
6. The length of time it takes for each seed to germinate will be recorded (# of days) and a
seed will be considered ungerminated after 1 week of no growth.
7. After the seeds germinate, growth will be determined by counting the number of leaves
and measuring the height of each plant with a ruler. This will be done after a week (or
once true leaves appeared) and daily thereafter until the 10-12th day from the set-up of
the experiment. (1-2 weeks duration)
8. After the data is collected, the mean number of days it takes a seed to germinate will be
recorded for both the variable and the control. This will be displayed in a bar graph/line
graph, with the x-axis having two categories (plain water and coconut water) and the y-
axis being the average number of days.
9. The median will also be determined and displayed in a table for the average days to
germinate.
10. The average growth for each seedling will be determined and displayed on a similar bar
graph/line graph. The median will also be determined for seedling growth.
11. Calculate the Percent Germination
Percent germination will be calculated by the following formula:

No . of seeds germinated
PG ( % )= x 100
No . of seeds sown
 Results/Discussion

Table 1. Germination test of Corn and Mungbean

Treatment Total No. of No. of seeds Percent Average No.

seeds sown germinated Germination of days
Germinated

CORN

T1- Control
(plain water)

T2- Coconut
water

MUNGBEAN

T1- Control
(plain water)

T2- Coconut
water

Table 2. Growth pattern of corn and mungbean plant

Crop Shoot Length (Plant height)

Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Total Average

CORN

T1- Control

T2- Coconut
water

MUNGBEAN

T1- Control

T2- Coconut
water

Table 3. Growth pattern of corn and mungbean plant in terms of the number of leaves

Crop Number of Leaves

Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Total Average

CORN

T1- Control

T2- Coconut
water

MUNGBEAN

T1- Control

T2- Coconut
water

Note:

Submit your output in a form of documentary short film.

Click the link below for your reference on sample seed germination documentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEOfdGaO5r8