Info
| Explore | We already know that germination is the process by which seeds grow and become plants. We also know that seeds need to be in certain conditions in order to germinate, and that germination varies from plant to plant. We don't know a lot about germination, but we are excited to learn more about it. |
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| Research Question | Do older seeds germinate slower than newer ones? We came up with this question when we were discussing how the germination rate changes over time, and we are now here to test it. This question will help us reinsure that newer seeds do in fact germinate faster than older seeds. |
| Predictions | Our prediction is that older seeds will take longer to germinate and possibly not germinate while the newer seeds will germinate a lot quicker and have a higher success rate than the older seeds. I think this will happen because we have learned in class that the germination rate usually decreases... |
| Experimental Design | Here is our plan: 1. Plant 10 new seeds and 10 old seeds. 2. Measure which day each seed arises from the ground. 3. Write down when each seed arises. 4. The experiment ends when all seeds have germinated. We will need to make sure the seeds are in these conditions: Each seed must be placed... |
| Conclusion | Our final claim is that the age of the seed does matter when it comes to germination rate as older seeds have a lower chance of germinating than newer ones (at least when it comes to pea seeds). We make this conclusion because in our experiment we tested the difference between old seeds and... |
| About this Project | The mentor and students had a great discussion about expected results! - Elizabeth Scott, Scientist Liaison |
Updates
Dear Dr. Rojas-Gutierrez and Ms. Scott, this is Jordan. I really appreciate you guys helping us with our project. I hope that we are able to do more projects and you guys can work with us again.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for helping us during this experiment! It was very cool getting to work with you and I am very thankful for all of the feedback you gave us. I think our group made a very interesting germination experiment together, and I hope you had a much fun as I did!
Here is our data analysis:
1. We planted our seeds and made sure that they were in the right conditions. (Listed in Experimental Design)
2. On day three we watered each seed with one inch of water.
3. On days four through six, 60% of the old seeds germinated and 90% of the new seeds germinated.
Conclusion
This means that old seeds do in fact take longer than new seeds to germinate.
Hi Jordan!
I can jump in here! Your experiment and data analysis sounds great! It sounds like you've supported your original hypothesis of older seeds not germinating as quickly or as frequently as newer seeds! How long are you planning on observing seed germination? And do you know how long you are going to observe your plants growing?
Your experiment reminds me of the Beal seed experiment (which is a really fun Google!). Over 140 years ago, a botanist named William James Beal had questions about how long seeds can stay alive before they germinate. To answer his question, he buried tons of jars of seeds underground and every 20ish years, he would dig them up and see if they would germinate. They are still digging up jars of seeds to this day (the most recent one was in 2021)!
Do you think that we should measure each seed by if it has grown at all even if it is still buried in the dirt, or should we wait until it grows above the dirt? We placed each seed one inch deep.
Hey Jordan ! It will depend in which type of measurements are you trying to do (Let me know what you have in mind). But if it is only yes or no germination, I will wait until you see that some of the green parts of the seedling are coming out of the dirt to marked as germinated. Just to make sure that in the process of removing the dirt to check you do not damage the seedling in the process.
Thank you for helping us figure this out, we were not sure what we should have done but now we know.
Hi i'm Katherine and me and Jordan's perdiction is that older seeds will take longer to germinate and possibly not germinate well the newer seeds will germinate alot quicker and have a higher sucsess rate that the older seeds.
Hi Katherine and Jordan. How is all going in the class ?
Respect your prediction it is what most likely could happen. Fresh seeds tend to have a quicker germination and have a greater rate of success. Several factors can influence germination rates (e.g ideal conditions) so even if the seeds are super fresh if they do not have the proper conditions most likely will not germinate.