darwin saltwater seed lab report - kis international...

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Darwin Saltwater Seed Experiment Samuel Kawano Jan 28, 2015 Research Question: Can Chinese cabbage seeds germinate in the soil after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days? Background Research: Salt water or sea water, contains a total concentration of approximately 35 grams of salt per litre, which causes the density of the water to be slightly higher than the density of freshwater, which means that freshwater can float above water saltwater in mixed situation where the both of those types meet such as in estuaries or underground reservoirs (“Saltwater”). Ninety nine percent of sea salts contains chlorine, sulphur, magnesium, calcium and potassium and the density of seawater is approximately around 1,020-1,029 kilograms per cubic metre and freezes at the temperature of -1.9 degrees celsius compared to the density and freezing point of freshwater, which is nearly 1,000 kilograms per cubic metre and freezes at 0 degrees celsius (Pidwirny). A seed is composed of three major parts involved in reproduction which are the embryo, endosperm and testa (“Seed”). The embryo of the seed is made when parts of the male and female are combined during reproduction, which then grow into a new plant and the endosperm is a collection of nutrients stored inside the plant, which will then be used to feed the plant as it starts to germinate and finally, the testa or seed coat is the outer layer of the seed that protects the embryo and the endosperm from foreign objects intruding (“Seed”). Science Topic Research: Most Brassicaceae seeds (Chinese cabbage, Garden cress, Mouse-ear cress etc.) are non endospermic, which means there are endosperm layers present inside the seed and f some of the Brassicaceae seeds are endospermic, however, endospermic Brassicaeae seeds normally only has a weak layer endosperm consisting of one or two cell layers of endosperm (Leubner). Personal Engagement: What I find this experiment really intriguing is the possibility that seeds could still germinate after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days since, I’ve never thought of the idea that saltwater could kill seeds and by the end of the experiment, I’m hoping to learn more about the types of seeds that can and can’t germinate after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days. Null Hypothesis: IF seeds were to be dumped inside 150mL of saltwater for 28 days and then planted inside the soil for a week. THEN some of the seeds will be able to germinate inside the soil during the 7 day period. BECAUSE some seeds will have some form resistance towards saltwater. Alternate Hypothesis: IF Chinese cabbage seeds were to be dumped inside 150mL of saltwater for 21 days and then planted inside the soil for a week. THEN most of the Chinese cabbage seeds won’t be able to germinate. BECAUSE most of the cabbage seeds doesn’t have endosperm layers or some of the cabbage seeds that has endosperm layers, are generally weak with only 1-2 layers of

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Page 1: Darwin Saltwater Seed Lab Report - KIS International …blog.kis.ac.th/.../02/Darwin-Saltwater-Seed-Lab-Report.pdfBECAUSE some seeds will have some form resistance towards saltwater

Darwin Saltwater Seed ExperimentSamuel Kawano

Jan 28, 2015

Research Question: Can Chinese cabbage seeds germinate in the soil after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days?

Background Research: Salt water or sea water, contains a total concentration of approximately 35 grams of salt per litre, which causes the density of the water to be slightly higher than the density of freshwater, which means that freshwater can float above water saltwater in mixed situation where the both of those types meet such as in estuaries or underground reservoirs (“Saltwater”). Ninety nine percent of sea salts contains chlorine, sulphur, magnesium, calcium and potassium and the density of seawater is approximately around 1,020-1,029 kilograms per cubic metre and freezes at the temperature of -1.9 degrees celsius compared to the density and freezing point of freshwater, which is nearly 1,000 kilograms per cubic metre and freezes at 0 degrees celsius (Pidwirny).

A seed is composed of three major parts involved in reproduction which are the embryo, endosperm and testa (“Seed”). The embryo of the seed is made when parts of the male and female are combined during reproduction, which then grow into a new plant and the endosperm is a collection of nutrients stored inside the plant, which will then be used to feed the plant as it starts to germinate and finally, the testa or seed coat is the outer layer of the seed that protects the embryo and the endosperm from foreign objects intruding (“Seed”).

Science Topic Research:Most Brassicaceae seeds (Chinese cabbage, Garden cress, Mouse-ear cress etc.) are non endospermic, which means there are endosperm layers present inside the seed and f some of the Brassicaceae seeds are endospermic, however, endospermic Brassicaeae seeds normally only has a weak layer endosperm consisting of one or two cell layers of endosperm (Leubner).

Personal Engagement: What I find this experiment really intriguing is the possibility that seeds could still germinate after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days since, I’ve never thought of the idea that saltwater could kill seeds and by the end of the experiment, I’m hoping to learn more about the types of seeds that can and can’t germinate after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days.

Null Hypothesis:IF seeds were to be dumped inside 150mL of saltwater for 28 days and then planted inside the soil for a week.THEN some of the seeds will be able to germinate inside the soil during the 7 day period.BECAUSE some seeds will have some form resistance towards saltwater.

Alternate Hypothesis:IF Chinese cabbage seeds were to be dumped inside 150mL of saltwater for 21 days and then planted inside the soil for a week.THEN most of the Chinese cabbage seeds won’t be able to germinate.BECAUSE most of the cabbage seeds doesn’t have endosperm layers or some of the cabbage seeds that has endosperm layers, are generally weak with only 1-2 layers of

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endosperm layer and since salt tends to prevent water from entering the seed, the Chinese cabbage seed will eventually die out from lack of nutrition or intoxication from the salt.

VariablesManipulation

Independent (What will I change?) Types of seeds

The majority of the peers will be using different seeds for the experiment by leaving it inside a bottle of saltwater for 28 days and then planting it in the soil for 7 days.

Dependent (What will I measure?)

Amount of Water 500mL of water that will be used for turning the water into saltwater by pouring 15mL of salt, which 150mL of it will be poured in the Singha glass bottle

Germination Process Our seeds will be left inside the Singha soda bottle filled with saltwater for 21 days and then planting it in the soil and leave it for 7 days to observe whether it germinates during that time period.

Amount of Seeds The minimum amount of the seeds should be 30 and the maximum amount is 40 and the seeds will be counted by dumping a small amount of it onto my hand, and all the seeds will be counted to make sure it doesn’t exceed the maximum or below the minimum amount.

Amount of Soil Fresh soil will be used to fill up 2/3 of our pot, which will be used for planting my cabbage seeds and leave it for 7 days to see any signs of germination

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Amount of Salt 15g/500mL 15g worth of salt will be poured onto the 15mL measuring spoon, which then be poured inside the 500mL beaker filled with tap water.

Amount of Seeds Germinated

After waiting for 7 days for the seeds to germinate in the pot, I will be counting the amount of seeds that has displays signs of germination for my data.

Amount of Saltwater - 150mL

15g of salt will be poured and mixed inside the 500mL beaker filled with tap water and then the saltwater will be poured inside the 150mL measuring cylinder, which will then be poured inside the soda bottle.

Controlled (What will I keep the same?)

Amount of Salt - 30g/L I will be dumping 15 grams of salt inside a 500mL beaker filled with tap water in order to make sure that I have same amount of salt as everyone in my class.

Amount of Saltwater - 150mL

I will be using the same amount of saltwater for the experiment by dumping 150mL of saltwater via the measuring beaker inside the Singha Soda bottle.

Types of Salt - Gulf of Thailand

We will be using the same type of salt from the Gulf of Thailand for the seed experiment.

Types of Seed - Cabbage I will be using the cabbage seed provided by the KIS Science Lab for the saltwater seed experiment.

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Time in Water - 28 days I will be using the same type of water, after dumping a specific amount of seeds into the soda bottle filled with 150mL of saltwater, I will be covering the top with cotton balls and then leaving it in the science lab for 28 days.

Type of Bottle - Singha Soda

We will be using a Singha Soda Glass Bottle by filling it with 150mL of saltwater.

Type of Soil - Same Brand We will be using the same soil from the same brand which will be used to test if our seed can germinate after being exposed to saltwater.

Time in Soil - 7 days After leaving the seeds in the saltwater for approximately 28 days, we will extract the seed then plant it in the soil and see if the seeds are able to germinate or not.

Flower Pot We will be using the same pot throughout the experiment to plant our seeds in and leaving it for one week to germinate.

Temperature/Location of Bottle - KIS Science Lab

In order to make our data as accurate and reliable as possible, we will make sure that the location of the bottle with seeds inside will be in the science lab at all times and we will also make sure that the temperature of the science lab stays at around room temperature at all times.

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Materials: Black Marker (1)Chinese Cabbage Seed Packet (1)Chinese Cabbage Seeds (31)Singha Soda Glass Bottle (1)Water (150mL)Measuring Cylinder (300mL)Fresh Ground Soil (2/3 of Pot)Beaker (500mL)Salt (15g)Flower Pot (1)String (1)Measuring Spoon (15mL)Cotton Ball (1)Scissor (1)Duct Tape (1)Sieve (1)

Method: 1. Obtain all the necessary equipment listed above for the experiment.2. Get a marker and write down your name, date, the seed type and the amount of seed

that you are going to use on your Singha soda bottle.3. Fill up the Beaker (500mL) with tap water until it is completely filled up.4. Scoop up the bag of salt until it fills up 15mL of the measuring spoon.5. Pour the 15mL worth of salt into the 500mL beaker that is filled with tap water.6. Continuously stir the beaker with a spoon at a steady pace for 2 minutes.7. Once you’re done with stirring the Beaker that is filled with tap water (500mL) and salt

(30g), pour 150mL worth of saltwater into your Singha soda bottle.8. Get a packet of Chinese cabbage seeds, cut it open carefully with a scissor and pour

a small amount of the seeds on to your hand.9. After carefully pouring the cabbage seeds onto your hand, make sure the number of

your cabbage seeds is 31 or as long as it’s not below 30 or above 40 seeds10. Once you collected your seeds, carefully pour all of the seeds inside the single glass

bottle filled with 150mL of saltwater. 11. Once all the seeds are inside the glass bottle, get a cotton swab and cover the top of

the water bottle to prevent it from drying out.12. Put the bottle at a suitable place where the temperature stays the around the same

most of the time and leave it for 21 days after finding a suitable spot.13. After your seeds have been left inside the glass bottle with saltwater for 21 days, get a

pot and fill up 2/3 of the pot with fresh ground soil.14. Once you’re done with that, cut a piece of string that is long enough to tie it around

around the centre of the pot.15. Get a small duct tape, write your name on the duct tape and tape the area of your pot

that belongs to you but doesn’t go over the string since, the other half the pot will be used by another person.

16. Take the cotton swab out of your glass bottle and slowly pour all the water out onto a sieve, until all the seeds exits the bottle.

17. Thoroughly wash your glass bottle and leave it out to dry.18. After you made sure that all the seeds are out of the bottle, carefully plant all the

seeds onto the area of your pot, make sure the seeds are not clustered together or being buried too deep inside the soil.

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19. Once you carefully planted all of the seeds in the pot filled with soil, leave it at a suitable area at room temperature for 7 days for the seeds to germinate.

20. After 7 days has passed, observe your pot for any signs of germination and record all of your necessary data.

21. Clean up your experiment after recording all of your data!

Qualitative Observations:Two weeks after leaving my seeds in the saltwater for 2 weeks, I observed my bottle and noticed minimal changes. Some the things that I’ve noticed after observing for a few minutes is that all of the seeds have sank to the bottom of the bottle, compared to day one where some of the seeds were still floating. I also noticed that the seeds are starting to slowly lose their colour since, I could tell that the colour of the seeds was slightly whereas, on day one the colour of the seeds were almost completely black.

After leaving my cabbage seeds inside a bottle of saltwater for 21 days, I noticed little changes happening to my seeds such as the colour of the water mostly stayed the same except the colour of the water turned a bit more yellow, and it’s only noticeable if you look more closely. I also can see that the seeds on the surface had white circles around it and I assume that the saltwater dried up which caused the salt to accumulate around the dried area of the seed whereas, there were some seeds that sank to the bottom of the bottle. After looking more closely, I also noticed that the seeds lost most of its colour compared to day one, where the seeds retained its full colour which was black.

After planting all of my seeds in the soil and waiting for a week to let the plants germinate, I found out that none of my seeds nor my partner who had the same seeds as me, germinated and to confirm that none of my seeds germinated, I looked more closely at the pot for a few minutes to see any signs of germination, however, there were no signs of germination unfortunately.

Day 21 of Seed Experiment

Day 14 of Seed Experiment

Day 29 of Seed Experiment

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Quantitative Observations – Raw Data Table:

Number of Chinese Cabbage Seeds Planted and Germinated:

Seed Type and Number of G9A’s Seeds Planted and Germinated:

Name Type of Seed # of Seeds # of Seeds Germinated

Samuel Chinese Cabbage 31 0

Name Seed Type # of Seeds # of Seeds Germinated

Atom Chili Pepper 35 0

Erin Eggplant 30 2

Cherry Pak Choy 35 1

Jeremy Watermelon 30 8

Maggie Mini Tomato 40 38

Poom Striped Watermelon 48 6

Samuel Chinese Cabbage 31 0

Saadman Pumpkin 24 10

Jacky Tomatoes 25 11

Byte Watermelon 28 6

Daniel Chinese Cabbage 35 0

Jobjab Watermelon 28 2

Samina Watermelon 32 14

Annette Watermelon 32 17

Emily Watermelon 30 5

Mami Red Holy Basil 35 2

Krit Bird Pepper 40 1

Kate Tree Basil 30 1

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Seed Type and Number of G9A’s Seeds Planted and Germinated:

Safety Method:• Please thoroughly wash your hand with soap after touching the soil with your bare

hands.• Please refrain from letting saltwater touching your hands after it has been left in the

room for twenty one days• Please notify your nearest science teacher if there any incidents involving broken glass.

Data Processing:In order find the success rate of the seeds being able to germinate, I have to find the percentage of the germination rate since, percentage literally means “per hundred” and it helps me to find the rate of my seed’s germination success rate, which will tell me the

Name Seed Type # of Seeds # of Seeds Germinated

Seara Bush Bean 30 0

Budi Dark Green Pepper 30 2

Levi Dark Green Pepper 30 1

Peem Dark Green Pepper 30 5

Int Dark Green Pepper 30 6

yim Eggplant 30 1

Minsue Bird Pepper 40 0

Abhi Pumpkin Seeds 20 8

Viraj Okra Seeds 34 1

Yo Cherry tomatoes 25 11

Kimberly Pumpkin Seeds 14 9

Ruby Mini tomatoes 40 38

Ping Bush Beans 18 0

Jenny Big Sugar Peas 35 0

Emily Br Wiang Ping Pepper 30 3

Rino Hot hotpepper 40 9

MintGreen Flower Bok Choy 37 2

Faa Wiang Ping Pepper 40 5

TanYellow-ZhuchiniSquash 22 12

Prem Wiang Ping Pepper 30 7

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chances that of my seeds would germinate. So I decided to use the formula provided below:(Number of Seeds Germinated/Number of Seeds Planted)×100

Sample Calculation: (0/30) = 00×100 = 0

Germination Rate: 0%

Processed Data Table:Germination rate of my cabbage seeds:

Germination Rate of a variety of G9’s Seeds:

Graph:I will be using a pie chart to display all the results from the experiment since, even though a pie chart is not highly recommended when it comes to experiments related to sciences, in my opinion using a pie chart for this particular experiment, helps me to display all the data by dividing it into sectors and representing it as percentages in a straightforward way, and using a pie chart also makes it easier for me to display processed data in terms of displaying data in percentage form.

Seed Type Germination Success Rate (Percentage)

Germination Failure Rate (Percentage)

Chinese Cabbage 0 100

Seed Type Germination Success Rate (Percentage)

Germination Failure Rate (Percentage)

19 Different Types 26.3 73.7

100%

Germination Success RateGermination Failure Rate

74%

26%

Germination Success RateGermination Failure rate

Germination rate of G9’s 19 Different Types of Seeds

Germination Rate of my Chinese Cabbage Seeds

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ConclusionAfter completing the month long experiment, I received all the necessary data from my experiment and I found out that none of my cabbage seeds were able to germinate with a germination success rate of 0%, after being left inside a soda bottle filled with 150mL of saltwater for 21 days, and then leaving it inside a pot with 2/3 of it being filled with soil for 7 days to let the seeds germinate. After processing all of the data of the entire G9’s seeds, I found out that the majority of the different types of seed weren’t able to germinate, with a failure rate of 73.7% and a success rate of 26/3%. According to my data, it is certain that my research question has been clearly answered and proved since, as you can see from the G9’s raw data table, the data shows that 3 out of 138 Chinese cabbage seeds has germinated, with a germination rate of 2.2%, which clearly answers my research question, by clearly telling me that Chinese cabbage seeds can germinate after being exposed to saltwater for 21 days

After analysing the data of my cabbage seeds, the data clearly tells me that the saltwater completely killed off all off cabbage seeds since, none of them germinated, however, Cherry, who used the same cabbage seed as mine, managed germinate one seed and Mint, who also used the same seed, managed to germinate two cabbage seeds which intrigued me. So, I decided to compare my seeds to other types of seeds from different families to see, if I could find any noticeable patterns and trends. I will be comparing my cabbage seeds to other seeds by size, germination rate and the coating so I decided to create a table that displays all the seeds from the same genus below:

Data of G9’s 19 Different Types of Seed, Number of Seed Planted, Size and Number of Seeds Germinated.

Brassica

Seed Type Number of Seeds Planted

Number of Seeds Germinated

Size of Seed

Chinese Cabbage (Pak Choy)

138 3 Tiny

Capsicum

Seed Type Number of Seeds Planted

Number of Seeds Germinated

Size of Seed

Bird Pepper 80 1 Small

Wiang Ping Pepper 100 15 Small

Hot Pepper 40 9 Small

Chili Pepper 35 0 Small

Dark Green Pepper 120 14 Small

Total 375 39

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Solanum

Seed Type Number of Seeds Planted

Number of Seeds Germinated

Size of Seed

Egg plant 60 3 Tiny

Cherry Tomatoes 25 11 Tiny

Mini Tomatoes 80 76 Tiny

Tomatoes 25 11 Tiny

Total 190 101

Cucurbitaceae (Citrullus, Cucurbita)

Seed Type Number of Seeds Planted

Number of Seeds Germinated

Size of Seed

Striped Watermelon 48 6 Medium

Watermelon 180 52 Medium

Yellow - Zucchini Squash

22 12 Large

Pumpkin 58 27 Large

Total 308 97

Fabaceae (Pisum, Phaseolus)

Seed Type Seeds Planted Seeds Germinated Size of Seed

Big Sugar Peas 35 0 Large

Bush Beans 48 0 Large

Total 83 0

Ocimum

Seed Type Seeds Planted Seeds Germinated Size of Seed

Red Holy Basil 35 2 Tiny

Tree Basil 30 1 Tiny

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After analysing the data table that I created, I decided to find the percentage of the germination rate, using the same formula that I used for processing my data table and the results are as shown below:

Germination Rate: (Lowest to Highest)Fabaceae: 0.00%Brassica: 2.2%Abelmoschus: 2.9%Ocimum: 4.6%Capsicum: 10.4%Cucurbitaceae: 31.5%Solanum: 53.2%

As you can see from my data, the egg plants and the tomatoes (Solanum), has the highest germination rate of 53.2% after being left in saltwater for 29 days whereas, the big sugar peas and bush bean (Fabaceae) completely failed to germinate with a failure rate of 0% after being left in the saltwater for 29 days. When I looked closely at my data, I noticed a few patterns where slightly large seeds has a slightly high chance of germination as shown in the germination rate of the Cucurbitaceae which is 31.5% whereas, smaller seeds tends to have a even higher chance of germination such as the Solanum has an even higher chance of germination than the Cucurbitaceae, with a high germination rate of 53.2% which caught my attention since, there might be a possibility that the size of the seeds might have an effect on the seed’s ability to germinate, however, I have some doubts on this idea since, as you can see the Cabbage seeds (Brassica) has a really low germination rate of 2.17% and the size of the seed is similar to the tomatoes (Solanum) which has a really high germination rate of 53.2%. So, I decided to create a bar graph since, I want my data to be discrete or individually separate to see if there any noticeable patterns that shows smaller seeds really do have higher germination rate than bigger seeds, starting from the smallest to the largest seed.

Total 65 3

Abelmoschus

Seed Type Seeds Planted Seeds Germinated Size of Seed

Okra 34 1 Medium

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Graph:

After analysing the graph that I created, there were a few noticeable patterns and trends in this graph since as you can see from this graph, smaller seeds and larger seeds such as the tomatoes (Solanum), zucchini and pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita), tend to have a large germination success rate above 25% whereas, the majority of the medium seeds such as the the peppers and watermelons have a low germination success rate that is lower than 25% and some of the trends that I noticed is that the mini tomato seeds has a higher germination rate out of all the other tomatoes, the seeds in the Solanaceae family and the entire types of seeds in the bar graph and the hot pepper also has the highest germination rate out of every pepper, and the Yellow-zucchini squash has the highest germination rate out of every seeds in the Cucurbitaceae family in the bar graph.

Before I begin to assume that seed size does have an effect on the seed’s ability to germinate, I decided to take a look closely again and when I noticed that Big Sugar Pea and the Bush Bean (Fabaceae) completely failed to germinate, even though the size of the seeds is quite large whereas, the Curbitaceae family had a slightly high germination rate, which further convinces me that the idea of seed sizes matter is starting to become implausible and as I took a further look again at the chart, I noticed that the tomato seeds (Solanum) had a really high germination rate whereas, the Pak Choy (Brassica) and the Eggplant Seeds has a really a low germination rate even though the size of their seed is extremely slow, which brings me to a conclusion that the size of the seed is unlikely to have an effect on the seed’s ability to germinate and brings me to a new idea that certain family of seeds has a higher chance of germination compared to other family of seeds. The mini tomato seeds are the most successful seeds to survive and being able to

Seed

Typ

e

Pak ChoyEgg Plant

Cherry TomatoMini Tomato

TomatoHoly BasilTree Basil

Bird PepperWiang Ping Pepper

Hot PepperChili Pepper

Dark Green PepperOkra

Striped WatermelonWatermelon

Yellow - Zucchini SquashPumpkin

Big Sugar PeaBush Bean

0 25 50 75 100

Germination Success Rate (Percentage)

Germination Rate of 19 Different Types of Seeds from Smallest to Largest

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germinate after being exposed to saltwater for 21 days since, it is the only seed that has the highest germination success rate of over 75%, which tells me that the mini tomato seeds are the most successful seeds with the highest chances to germinate.

After explaining everything within my knowledge on the analysis of my data, I decided to research more about how some of the seeds survive from being immersed in saltwater and why some of the seeds fail o germinate after being immersed in saltwater. Firstly, in order for a seed to germinate, all seeds must receive proper amount of oxygen, water, temperature and nutrients in order for it to germinate, however, if some seeds were to be immersed in salt then it will intoxicate the seeds since, the osmotic pressure created by the salt prevents the water from the entering the coat of the seed which in turn, causes the seed to die (“How salt affects Seed Germination”). However, all plants have different levels of resistance towards salt such as the beans that has a really low salt tolerance of 960 Total Dissolved Salt (TDS), which explains why the beans completely failed to germinate (“How salt affects Seed Germination”).

The real reason why seeds such as tomato seeds (Solanum) are so successful at surviving in saltwater and being able to germinate in the soil whereas, seeds such as Big Sugar Pea and Bush bean are the least successful in terms of germination success is because according to my research, the reason why tomato seeds (Solanum) are so successful and has a high tolerance towards salt is due to the fact that the tomato seeds (Solanum) has a large layer of endosperm, which plays a key role in supplying nutrients to the embryo since, the salt prevents the water from entering the seed, it kills the seed since it wasn’t receiving any nutrients which is the reason why the Chinese cabbage seeds (Brassicaceae) seed that I selected, failed to germinate since, the majority of Brassicaceae seeds are non-endospermic, which means it doesn’t have any layer of endosperm, however, some Brassicaceae have weak endosperm layers with 1-2 layers of endosperm, which causes the seeds to quickly die out and rot whenever it is immersed in saltwater hence the reason why the germination rate of the Chinese cabbage seed is really low (Leubner).

After analysing through all of the data that I’ve collected and processed, I consider that my alternate hypothesis is supported since, I clearly stated that most of the cabbage seeds would die in my alternate hypothesis, which turned out to be true since, when I find the overall germination success of the cabbage seed from everyone in class who used the same types of seed as me, only 3 out of 138 seeds germinated with a germination success rate of 2.2%, which tells me that most of the Chinese cabbage failed to germinate therefore, my alternate hypothesis is supported. This tells me that saltwater certainly hinders the seed’s chances of germination, however, it also tells me that some of the seeds can tolerate saltwater and can germinate after being immersed in saltwater for 21 days.

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Sources of Error TableError Significance Improvements

Germination time might vary between different types of seeds - Due to our seven day limit, some seeds might take longer than seven days to germinate.

Moderate

To improve this issue, I strongly suggest to select seeds that are suitable for this experiment, by selecting seeds that takes no longer than seven days to germinate.

Different seed sizes - The difference between sizes might cause other seeds to not germinate since, bigger seeds consumes more nutrient whereas, smaller seeds require less nutrients

Low

To improve the issue of different sizes between each seed, I suggest selecting seeds that are similar in size by measuring each seed before it is being used for the experiment

Fungus stealing most of the nutrients in the soil - Fungus stealing the seed’s nutrients can cause the seeds to delay its germination or die.

Moderate

In order to reduce the amount of fungus stealing the nutrients, make sure to lower the humidity of the area where the seeds are growing since, high humidity attracts fungus to grow in the soil.

Temperature - Temperature might not stay the same consistently, which might delay the germination of the seeds. Low

In order to keep the temperature stable, I suggest to let your seeds grow indoors since, there would be an air conditioner that would stabilise the temperature by preventing the room from getting too hot or cold.

Some of the seeds are not grown in Thailand - Seeds from different countries are grown differently, which might affect the accuracy of our data.

Low

The easy solution to this is to purchase seeds from Thailand, to minimise the risk of our data being accurate.

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EvaluationIn this experiment, we had a total number 1,193 seeds and 19 different types of seed used in this experiment. As they always say, having more trials is always better, however, since we used 1,193 seeds in total for the entire experiment as a whole grade, it is definitely safe to say that our data is accurate in a statistical sense since, we have such a large sample space makes our data more valid and accurate since, having more trials for the experiment is always better if we want to increase the accuracy of our data.

In my opinion, I believe my data from the experiment is valid since, we did this experiment as a whole class and we had a really large sample space that allowed me to collect several data that I consider to be accurate due to its larger sample space. Having such large sample space also allowed me to compare my data to my peer’s data, which gives me more access to different kinds of data and also helps me to give me more valid data and an example would be from my data, my Chinese cabbage seed had a germination success rate of 0% and I thought it was impossible for Chinese cabbage to seed to germinate after being immersed in saltwater, until I compared my data to three other people that used the same seeds as me and I discovered that it is in fact, not impossible for Chinese cabbage seeds to germinate since, the data that I used from three of my classmates had 3 Chinese cabbage seeds that has successfully germinated, which helps me to further improve the accuracy and the validity of my data.

In this saltwater seed experiment, we used 19 different types of seeds and left it inside a glass bottle filled with saltwater for 21 days, and then planting it inside a pot for 7 days to let it germinate. Darwin conducted his original saltwater seed experiment, by putting his seed inside a bottle of actual seawater, leaving it for 28 days and then planting it in the soil to let it germinate for 7 days. As you can see our experiment is extremely similar to Darwin’s experiment with the only difference being that, Darwin used actual sea water from the ocean whereas, we created own saltwater by mixing 30grams of salt with 1litre of tap water and Darwin left his bottle for 28 days whereas, we only left it for 21 days due to limited amount of time.

Next Testable Question:Can different types of seeds survive in syrup and germinate after being immersed in syrup for a certain amount of time?

Too many seeds used in a single pot - Due to the limited amount space shared between two people using 1 pot, seeds may be too close together which might prevent them from germinating properly.

Moderate

In order to resolve this issue, I strongly recommend that each individual person should one pot for their own instead sharing one pot between two individuals.

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Pidwirny, Michael. "Seawater." The Encyclopaedia of Earth. The Encyclopaedia of Earth, 16 Oct.

2006. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. <http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/155955/>.

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<http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Saltwater.aspx>.

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