Seed germination lab report

Document Type:Lab Report

Subject Area:Other

Document 1

The absorbed water activates enzymes that are responsible for initiating the growth process. Additionally, the seeds need oxygen and nutrients to support the entire process of growth right from germination. Over time, it has been a common practice of mixing fertilizers with seeds at planting time. To some extent, this practice has proved to be very viable as it improves the rate of pre-ground and post-ground breaking growth of the seedlings. The seed mixed with fertilizer or where the latter is applied to soil during the planting time with inorganic demonstrates reduced dormancy and grow faster compared to the ones that were planned without the fertilizer inoculation. Research Question: How does an inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer affect the rate of germination in conditions that have less light intensity? Hypothesis: Using nitrogenous fertilizers in sowing coffee seeds of the same physical characteristics then, the seeds germinating on the soil with fertilizer will grow earlier compared to those germinating in soil without fertilizer due to their access of nutrients and sufficient light intensity.

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Method Experiment Variables Independent Variable Planting coffee seeds in soil with fertilizer. Dependent Variables Seed germination and height of the seedling. Confounding Variables Coffee seeds from same source, species and storage conditions, and same amount of water, temperature, soil characteristics (color, texture, pH, air, minerals and organic matter), and light intensity. Materials Materials used include: • water, • large plastic water containers, • nitrogenous fertilizer, • soil sample, • pipe cleaner, and • the coffee seeds. It was hypothesized that applying nitrogenous fertilizer on the soil where the coffee seeds would be planted would facilitate earlier growth compared to those germinating in soil without fertilizer. This is based on the notion that applying fertilizer during the germination of seeds will allow them obtain adequate nutrients for their growth.

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Additionally, the germinating seeds will access the substitute of light provided by the fertilizer as one of the principal requirements for germination as it contributes to their ability to start manufacturing their own food. Light plays a very crucial role when it comes to breaking of the seed dormancy. The results validated the experiment hypothesis that applying nitrogenous fertilizer supports earlier germination of coffee seeds and growth of seedlings as opposed to the soil where the same type of fertilizer is applied. However, it was noted that the growth in height reaches optimum as was recorded in day 4 and 5. The simple explanation to the scenario is that plants exploit nutrient reserves for secondary growth. The knowledge of the confounding factors and the effect they could have on the main variables was adequately captured in this experiment.

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The main focus was assessing the impact on NF and the subsequent plant growth. It is a common knowledge that coffee seeds are available in a wide range of varieties from different source, species and storage conditions, which could contribute to variance in growth. Thinking about the future experiment of the same nature, there will need to use well-processed containers that can aid equal distribution of water all over the soil. Additionally, the container should be designed in a manner that facilitates free circulation of air and water throughput the growing period of a plant. Selection of the soil samples is also implicated here since the soil used for the practical ought to be uniform as well as tested for the lack of nitrogenous nutrients that could secretly promote growth or the presence of growth inhibitors that could inhibit the growth.

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Similarly, according to the experiment that I did, the control of the light intensity was not efficient as open veranda was used, which presented light intensity variations. Therefore, an extension that I would do for this lab experiment would require an extensive inclusion of the control setups. T. The effect of nitrogen fertilizers on the germination and seedling emergence of wild oat (A. fatua L. ) seed in different soil types. Weed Research, 29(4), 239-245. Y. Effects of nitrogen fertilizers on the growth and nitrate content of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 11(4), 4427-4440. Monaco, T. A. , & Redinbaugh, M. G. Nitrogen effects on seed germination and seedling growth. Journal Of Range Management, 646-653. Savonen, C.  Agronomy Journal, 108(6), 2485-2492.

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