| Explore | All seeds need water, sunlight, oxygen, and a proper environment to germinate. Germination is when the seed grows into a plant because the area has the proper growing standards. Plants need these requirements because chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight and produces more energy so the plant can germinate and photosynthesis can take place. In order to germinate, seeds need around 6 mL of water once everyday. Overwatering seeds will drown them and make them unable to germinate very quickly and possibly rot. Underwatering seeds will kill them because water is needed for seeds to germinate and seeds might remain dormant. We all have had experience with growing plants in a garden and like to grow plants. Grace has experience with growing plants from seeds in a garden and has been growing them since she was 8 years old. Anna has had experience with seeds in the 4th grade for a class project. Elyse has experience with growing fruit and vegetables in her grandparents garden. |
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| Research Question | How does the amount of water affect seed germination? |
| Predictions | If we add 8 mL of water to water the seeds, then the seeds will germinate faster because over-watering it will drown it and underwatering it make the plant die. |
| Experimental Design | Experimental Design: Independent variable: The amount of water. Dependent variable: Seed germination. Controlled variables: Light, air temp, type of seeds, amount of seeds, paper towels, source of light, water temp. Materials: 30 pea seeds, 3 petri dishes, 3 wet paper towels, growth light, water, ruler, beaker, tape, sharpie. We will record the number of seeds that germinate and the growth length using a ruler in mm. We will record the data in a table. 1. Put one sheet of paper towel folded in half in each of the three petri dishes. 2. Spread 10 pea seeds evenly onto the paper towel in each petri dish. 3. Measure 2mL of water and pour it evenly over the seeds in the first petri dish. Label that petri dish 2 mL using a piece of tape and a sharpie. 4. Repeat step 3 but give the other two different amounts of water: one with 6mL and the other with 10mL of water. Label each petri dish with the amount of water given. 5. Put the lid on and place it under a growth light. Make sure they all receive the same amount of light. 6. Every day, measure using a ruler in millimeters how much the seed germinated. Only measure the growth, do not measure the seed. Record how many seeds germinated from each petri dish. Water every day. |
| Conclusion | The seeds watered with 10 mL of water germinated the fastest, but they later molded. The seeds that received 6 mL of water germinated a day later, but were able to grow and survive. Therefore, my claim is that 6 mL of water is best. We watered one petri dish with 2 mL of water, another one with 6 mL of water, and the last one with 10 mL of water. The seeds watered with 2 mL of water had no growth, and they had mold on the paper towel and one seed. The seeds watered with 6 mL of water had an average root growth of 23.9 mm and average sprout growth of 33.6 mm. There was mold on 4 of the seeds watered with 10 mL of water. We had to throw away 2 of the seeds because they were completely engulfed with mold. We learned in the secondary knowledge probe and the prior knowledge that over watering the seeds caused mold which is exactly what happened in the 10 mL of water petri dish. Too little water results in no seed germination as shown with the seeds watered with 2 mL of water. This shows that seeds watered with 6 mL of water are best. We are thinking about, if we did another investigation, changing the amount of water after the seeds germinated. Since the 10 mL of water seeds germinated the fastest, we would start with that amount of water and later change it to 6 mL of water. |
| Investigation Theme | WOS |
| Teacher Name | Wendy Smith |
| School Name | DeWitt Middle School |
| Session | Spring 2023 |
| About this Project | This group was able to plan and execute the research project in a way that allowed them to gather reliable results and information. They were able to use their results along with the research to be able to draw conclusions that made sense. The group members used their time effectively to learn more about seed germination and plant growth. They were also able to communicate their results to their classmates. -- Wendy Smith, Teacher Another group that wowed me with their communication! Thy consistently uploaded images and well thought-out descriptions of their data. Additionally, their final results showed consistent and diligent record-keeping. -- Devani Jolman, Scientist Liaison |