Detergent & Seed Germination

Investigation Lab
Introduction:
Seeds come in different sizes, shapes, and colors.
Some are edible and some are not. Some seeds
germinate readily while others need specific
conditions to be met before they will germinate.
Within every seed lives a tiny plant or embryo. The
outer covering of a seed is called the seed coat.
Seed coasts help protect the embryo from injury and
also from drying out. Seed coats can be quite thin
and soft as in beans or very thick and hard as in
locust or coconut seeds. Endosperm, which is a
temporary food supply, is packed around the embryo
in the form of special leaves called cotyledons or
seed leaves. These generally are the first parts
visible when the seed germinates. Plants are
classified based upon the number of seed leaves
(cotyledons) in the seed. Plants such as grasses and
grass relatives can be monocots, containing one
cotyledon. Dicots are plants that have two
cotyledons.

Seeds remain dormant or inactive until conditions are

right for germination. All seeds need water, oxygen,
and proper temperature in order to germinate. Some
seeds require proper light also. Some germinate
better in full light while others require darkness to
germinate. When a seed is exposed to the proper
conditions, water and oxygen are taken in through the
seed coat. The embryo's cells start to enlarge and
the seed coat breaks open and root or radicle
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emerges first, followed by the shoot or plumule which
contains the leaves and stem.

Many factors contribute to poor germination. Over-

watering results in a lack of proper oxygen levels.
Planting seeds to too deep results in the seed using
up all of its stored energy before reaching the soil
surface, and dry conditions result in the lack of
sufficient moisture to start and sustain the
germination process.

Objective:
The students will be able to describe how some
environmental factors affect seed germination.

Materials:
Masking tape, Scissors, 3 Ziploc bags, Marker,
Forceps, Paper Towels, Metric Ruler, 3 colored
pencils, 25 seeds, distilled water, 50 ml graduated,
1% detergent solution, 10% detergent solution, graph
paper

Procedure:
1. Label the 3 Ziploc bags: Control, 1%
Solution and, 10% Solution.
2. Cut 6 square pieces of paper toweling to
fit each bag.
3. Place 2 squares in each bag.
4. Distribute 6 seeds on each side of the
paper towel between the plastic and towel.
5. In the control bag add 25 ml of distilled
water completely moistening the paper towel.

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 6. In the 1% solution bag add 25 ml of 1%
detergent solution making sure to completely
moisten the towel.
7. Do the same to the 10% solution bag by
adding 25 ml of 10% detergent solution.
8. Make sure all bags are sealed tightly.
9. Place the bags in a dark warm place
designated by the instructor.
10. Write a hypothesis predicting the results
of the experiment.
11. Examine the bags daily for 5 days. Record
any changes that might have occurred. If the
roots are visible, the seed is considered
germinated.
12. Record your date in the table below.
13. Do not allow your towels to dry out. Check
and moisten each bag with the appropriate
solutions in equal amounts.
14. Measure the root growth of each seed
daily from the time it appeared.
15. Graph the data from the table using
colored pencils to represent each of the Ziploc
bags.

My hypothesis:

Interesting observations during experiment:

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 Number of Seeds Germinated

Day Control 1% Detergent Solution 10% Detergent Solution

1
2
3
4
5

Average Growth of Germinating

Seeds(mm)

10% Detergent
Day Control 1% Detergent Solution
Solution
1
2
3
4
5

Make a graph of your data to include in your

results section of your lab report. A line
graph would be most appropriate.

EXAMPLE

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Include this in your results section of your
report:

1. Was there a difference in the number of seeds

germinated between the detergent concentrations?

2. In which of the three bags did seeds germinate

faster?

3. What was the purpose of the control?

4. Did the detergent strength have an effect on the

seed's germination? If so, what was it?

Include this in your conclusions section of

your report:

5. Was your hypothesis supported or rejected? Why?

6. If it was rejected, what direction would the next

investigation take if you continued this experiment?

7. How could you make this investigation stronger? In

other words, how could this experiment be improved
to make the results even more conclusive?