Exercise 4 Experiment B

Light and Seed Germination

Materials
4 Petri Dishes
Tissue Paper
100 Seeds of Lettuce
(Lactica sativa L.)
100 seeds of pechay
(Brassica chinensis L.)
Procedures
1. Prepare 4 petri dishes lined with moist tissue
paper.

2. Evenly distribute 50 seeds of lettuce in each of

two petri dishes, and 50 seeds of pechay in
each of the remaining petri dishes.

3. Label the petri dishes as lettuce in light, lettuce

in darkness, pechay in light, and pechay in
darkness.

4. Place the 2 petri dishes in a well-lighted place,

and the other two under a cardboard box.
5. Observe the set-up after one week and
determine the germination rate of the
seeds.

GP= (Germinated seeds/total seeds) x100

6. Establish whether the seeds were

dormant or not and discuss how it was
affected by light.
RESULT
Pechay with Light
(After 4 days)
Pechay without Light
(After 4 days)
Lettuce with Light
(After 4 days)
Lettuce without Light
(After 4 days)
 Summary of our Experiment

 Pechay with light seeds has 0% germination rate.

 Pechay without light has 70% germination rate.

 Lettuce with light has 0% germination rate.

 Lettuce without light has 28% germination rate.

 Possible errors in the Experiment

The timeframe of the experiment is not

met ( should be 7 days instead of 4 days).
Did not put enough or too much water.
The shoebox may have holes which light
can penetrate.
Can observe in a well lit area versus in a
shaded area.
Expected Result of the Experiment

Many of seeds that are in the dark

are expected to germinate.

Seeds from the lighted area will not

germinate or germinate slower
DISCUSSION
 The germination rate of lettuce in light is 0% and 28% in
darkness. The germination rate of pechay in light is also
0% and 70% in darkness.

 The germination rate in darkness is higher compared to

light that has no germination rate.

 The seeds can be dormant that will take a fee more

days to germinate and some seeds can be dead.

 Just like how the light affects the germination process of

seed but light just have a minor role for seed germination
because seeds usually germinate under ground what
matters in that period of time is the warmth and moisture
for the seed.
Also the type of light affects the
germination of the seed in a way that
the blue light wave inhibits the
germination process that was
according to Thompsons and
Morgan.
Phytochrome is a pigment of the
plant that is responsible for the
germination of the plant. Red light
promotes germination while blue light
promotes dormancy.
 Sources
Cropsci 1100 manual
Google images
https://www.thompson-morgan.com/effect-of-
light