Sci4: First Experimental Trial

Testing Light & Dark Seed Germination
by Sci4AO

We decided to first see if seeds need light to germinate. So we put half of seeds in a dark space and half of the seeds in a space with intense light that was always on. After 2 days, all the seeds in the light and the dark germinated. So that means you don't need light for RCBr seeds to germinate.

The seedlings didn't all look the same though. They grew differently in the dark than in the light.

In the dark, the seedlings had yellow closed cotyledons. The stems are really long and white. The testas were all off.

In the light, the seedlings had dark green open cotyledons that looked like clovers. The stems were shorter and light green. Most seedlings still had the testas attached between the stem and root.

RCBr Seedlings at Day 10
Grown in Dark on right, Grown in Constant Light on left.

We think that the seedlings in the dark didn't grow very well because they couldn't make any food (sugar). Plants need light to make their food. This is called PHOTOSYNTHESIS. No light, no green, no photosynthesis, no food = unhappy plants.

Next we want to try without water and at different temperatures.
We are pretty sure that they won't germinate without water. But we're not sure what will happen at warmer or colder temperatures.