Johnson Nahin 1

Introduction

The thought of where food comes from does not get a great amount of acknowledgment.

People mostly think of food coming from animals. But, plants are a greater necessity than

animals because many animals live off of plants. Because of this, seed germination is a very

important factor of life itself.

When dealing with the factors of seed germination, water can be considered the main

delivery system. This is because the researcher is primarily interested in testing the biocontrol

potential of the plant (Daigle). Oxygen is another great factor. But, oxygen works best to

germinate seeds when there is a greater amount of moisture contained in the seed (Pollock). This

experiment deals with the effect of two factors towards seed germination, while trying to exclude

dormancy (when a seed is not in the process of germination) as a seed germination response

(Roberts).

The problem of the experiment is, do the color of light and the type of the bag that a

seed is in affect germination? This experiment tests factors that are not frequently used in seed

germination in the attempt to find out what factor has the greatest effect and how it affects the

germination of seeds. The first factor in the experiment is the color of light. Lights penetration is

another great factor of seed germination (Tester). In this experiment, the color of light was

chosen because different wavelengths from different colors of light have different effects on seed

germination. The longer the wavelength, the larger the effect. Research says that the color red

has the greatest effect on seed germination because it has the longest wavelength (Bliss). Using

this information, the red color of light was chosen as the + variable of the first factor. The

chosen for the first factor was purple light because it has the shortest wavelength. The standard

was chosen as blue light because its wavelengths distance is between red and purple light.
 Johnson Nahin 2

Figure 1. Wavelengths of Light.

Figure 1 above shows the wavelengths of the colors of light used in the experiment. As

shown, the red light has the longest wavelength and purple has the shortest. The standard is a

median of the two. Each color, with different wavelengths, causes a response which determines

whether or not the seed can germinate. This response is caused in a pigment called phytocrome,

which allow the seeds to absorb the light. So the chain could be said as, germinating determines

the survival of the seed. The colors, or different wavelengths, determine if the seed can

germinate.

The second factor of the experiment is the type of bag containing the seeds. The type of

bag was chosen because the different variables of the factor have different amount of light that

passes through each bag and the amount of heat absorbed. As mentioned before, the amount of

light also greatly affects seed germination. The + of the second factor is a black plastic bag. This

is because it was predicted that the black plastic would absorb more heat, resulting in a greater

effect of seed germination. The of the second factor is a clear plastic bag. The clear plastic

absorbs much less heat than the black plastic bag. The standard is a plastic grocery bag that is

somewhat translucent and lets a median of light pass through it compared to the + and

variables. The interaction of the factors will create easy comprehension of which factor has the

greatest effect and which variable combination will have the greatest effect.
 Johnson Nahin 3

The general method of this experiment is to figure out if the color of light and the type of

bag the seeds are affect germination. Also, the experiment will show the variable combinations

that have the greatest effect on seed germination using the two factors chosen. The factors will

include the different wavelengths and the penetration of light. This will provide additional

information about the influences on seed germination.

 Johnson Nahin 4

Problem Statement

Problem:

Do the color of light and the type of the bag that a seed is in affect germination?

Hypothesis:

If purple, red, and blue light are used in the germination of seeds, while in a clear, black,

or white plastic bag, then the red light and the clear bag will germinate the most seeds.

Data measured:

The dependent factors include the colors of light and the types of the bags used. The

independent factor is the amount of seeds that germinate out of 15. The high, standard and low

levels of the color of light were chose by the amount of effect different colors of light had on

plant growth. The high standard and low levels of different colors of bags for the experiment

were chose by which color allowed sunlight to pass through easier and which did not. The

standard for the variable is a bag that is somewhat translucent.

 Johnson Nahin 5

Experimental Design

Materials:

75 Phaseolus lunatus (lima beans)

1 Plastic grocery bag (2-3 gallons)
2 Ziploc bags (1 gallon)
2 Black plastic bags
Colored tissue paper (blue, red, and purple)
3 Cardboard boxes
Paper towel
H2O (water) a tap water source

Diagrams:

Figure 2. Materials

Figure 2 above is a picture of all of the materials needed throughout the experiment.
 Johnson Nahin 6

Arranging 15
seeds on paper
towel

Paper towel
folded over
seeds

Figure 3. Placing the Beans and Folding the Paper Towel

Figure 3 above displays how to place the 15 beans on the sheet of paper towel and how it

looks after the paper towel is folded over the

beans.

Red tissue paper placed

over the box
 Johnson Nahin 7

Figure 4. The Colored Tissue Paper on the Box

Figure 4 shows what the colored tissue paper should look like when being taped to the

box.

Procedure:

1. Place 15 Phaseolus lunatus (lima beans) over a sheet of paper towel then fold the paper
towel over the lima beans. (as shown in figure 3)

2. Place the paper towel containing the lima beans under cold water until the entire paper
towel is soaked.

3. Get a bag, either a Ziploc bag (-), black plastic bag (+), or a plastic grocery bag
(standard), depending on which second variable is being used, and place the paper towel
containing the lima beans inside of it.

4. Label the plastic bags with their + or - variables so that they do not get mixed up during
the experiment. Make sure that the color of the tissue paper is the first variable and that
the type of bag used is the second variable.

5. Place the bag containing the lima beans in a cardboard box with the top cut off of the box.

6. Use the colored tissue paper, red, blue, or purple (depending on which first variable is
being used) to cover the whole top of the box, taping the tissue paper to the sides of the
box to make sure that it does not fall off and create an error in the experiment. (as shown
in figure 4)

7. Place the box in an area with much glass (green house) so that it has the ability to
consume sunlight.

8. Perform this procedure using all of the combinations of variables excluding the standards,
knowing that the color of light is the first variable and that the type of bag containing the
lima beans is the second variable.

9. After 2 days have passed since the start of the experiment, check the amount of seeds that
germinated out of 15 for each of the variable combinations.

10. Perform another 2 day experiment using the same procedure.

11. Take the averages of each variable combination from both of the experiments.

12. Notice which variable combination affects the seed germination the greatest by seeing
which one has the greatest amount of seed germination.
 Johnson Nahin 8

Data Observations

Data:
This experiment dealt with the amount of Phaseolus lunatus (lima

beans) germinated over a 2-day trial, dealing with the type of effect the color

of light and the type of bag had on the amount of seeds germinated.

Table 1
Design of Experiment Values
Color of Light Type of Bag
- Standard + - Standard +
White
Clear Plastic Black
Purple Blue Red
Plastic Grocery Plastic
Bag

In Table 1, the standard level for the color of light was determined by the amount of

wavelengths each color has, which, for the standard, blue is around the middle of the visible

light spectrum. The standard level for the type of bag was determined by the amount of light is

allowed through each type of bag, and white plastic grocery bag lets in only a slight amount.

Table 2
DOE Values and Averages
Seeds Germinated
DOE (Color of Light, Type of Bag)
(+,+) (+,-) (-,+) (-,-) Standard
1 11 8 6 7 12
2 10 11 10 14 10
Averages 10.5 9.5 8 10.5 11

In table 2, Trial 1 and 2 were 2 day trials with the response variable of total seeds

germinated. Trial 2 occurred 1 day after the end of Trial 1.

Observations:
 Johnson Nahin 9

No problem with the weekends occurred since the whole experiment took place during

the weekdays. The weather was very hot and most of the seeds seemed similar. Some seeds were

out of their shell while others germinated inside the shell. A very little amount of the seeds had

their roots cut off. Nothing seemed significant except the second trial for the (-,-) was unusually

high. Overall, the amount that germinated within both of the trials was unexpected, but the result

was slightly expected.

Table 3
Observations
Date Observation
3/25/201
Trial 1 start
5
3/26/201
Very hot
5
3/27/201
End of Trial 1
5
3/30/201
Trial 2 start, was very hot
5
3/31/201
Nothing significant
5
4/1/2015 End of Trial 2

Table 3 represents observations that occurred during the trials. Nothing occurred on the

start of Trial 1. The second day of Trial 1 was very hot. At the end of Trial 1, it was very hot.

There was small delay between both trials. At the beginning of Trial 2, it also seemed very hot.

The next day, nothing significant occurred along with the last day of Trial 2.
 Johnson Nahin 10

Figure 5. Seed Germination Sample

Figure 5 above shows how each sample of the amounts of seeds germinated looked like

after each two day trial. The top sample is the (-,-) of Trial 2. As seen, many things occurred

when each seed germinated. Some of the seeds lost their shells seemed like the sell could have

shrunk. There is only one seed that did not germinate out of the fifteen and it is one of the only

one that kept the majority of its shell.

 Johnson Nahin 11

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Table 4
Predictor Variables
Color of Light Type of Bag
- Standard + - Standard +
White
Black
Purple Blue Red Clear Plastic Plastic
Plastic
Grocery

In Table 4, the standard level for the color of light was determined by the amount of

wavelengths each color has, which, for the standard, blue is around the middle of the visible light

spectrum. The standard level for the type of bag was determined by the amount of light is

allowed through each type of bag, and white plastic grocery bag lets in only a slight amount.

Table 5
Averages of Seeds Germinated
Predictor Variables
Color of Bag First DOE Second DOE Average
Light Type
+ + 11.0 10.0 10.5
- - 7.0 14.0 10.5
+ - 8.0 11.0 9.5
- + 6.0 10.0 8.0
 Johnson Nahin 12

Table 5 above shows the data of the amount of seeds germinated out of 15 through the

two trials. This includes the variable combinations, using the predictor variables, and the

averages of the two trials. The grand average is 9.625.

10.2
10
9.8
9.6
Seeds Germinated 9.4
9.2
9
8.8
-1 1
Color of Light

Table 6
Effect #1: Color of Light
Color of Light
(-) (+)
Purple Red
10.5 10.5
8 9.5
Average = 9.25 Average = 10
Figure 6. Effect #1: Color of light

Table 6 and figure 6 above show that on average, the seed germination increased as it

went from low (purple) to high (red) by an effect value of 0.75. This was calculated by

subtracting the (-) average from the (+) average. From this, it is understood that the red light (+)

germinates more seeds on average than purple light.

 Johnson Nahin 13

10.2
10
9.8
9.6
Seeds Germinated 9.4
9.2
9
8.8
-1 1
Bag Type

Table 7
Effect #2: Bag Type
Bag Type
(-) (+)
Clear Plastic Black Plastic
10.5 10.5
9.5 8.0
Average = 10 Average = 9.25
Figure 7. Effect #2: Bag Type

Table 7 and figure 7 above show that on average, the seed germination decreased as it

went from the low (clear plastic) to high (black plastic) by an effect value of -0.75. This was

calculated by subtracting the low average from the high average. This shows that the clear bag let

more light to pass through the surface of the bag while black plastic bag let in very little.
 Johnson Nahin 14

12

10

Seeds Germinated 6

0
-1 1
The Color of Light

Table 8
Interaction Effect
Color of Light Figure 8. Interaction Effect
Seeds Germinated (-) (+)
Purple Red
(+)
Solid
Black 8 10.5
Bag Type

Segment
Plastic
(-)
Dotted
Clear 10.5 9.5
Segment
Plastic

Table 8 and figure 8 above imply that red light and the black plastic bag germinates the

most seeds. This is because the high slope was positive and the low slope was negative. The

interaction effect is positive because the high slope was larger than the low slope. The interaction

was calculated by subtracting the low slope from the high slope and was equal to 1.75. The (+)

values germinated a higher value than expected while the (-) germinated a lower value than
 Johnson Nahin 15

expected. Though, when combining (+) and (-) values, the amount of seeds germinate were much

lower than expected, creating an interaction between the two.

F
Figure 4. Graph of Standards.

Figure 9. Graph of Standards.

Figure 9 shows the standards. The standard of Trial 1 is 12 and the standard of Trial 2 is

10 making the range of standards 2. The standard is not, but, is similar to the control of most

experiments.

(Bag Type) (Color of Light)

(Interaction)
-4 -2 0
F
2 4
Figure 10. Dot Plot of Effects.

Figure 10 above shows that none of the effects are significant because none of them

exceeded the range of the standards doubled.

The Parsimonious Prediction Equation is Y = 9.625 + noise. There is no significant

data because the effects do not exceed the range of the standards doubled. The color of light is

the greater effect variable. If the experiment was re-run, the color of light would still have the

greatest effect, in particularly the red light. I predict that the red light would always be the

biggest impact or effect while dealing with the color of light in seed germination. Because of the
 Johnson Nahin 16

prediction equation, it is predicted that about 9.625 seeds would germinate as the overall average

of all of the variable combinations, including the noise that takes place during the experiment.

The red light and the clear plastic bag will germinate the most seeds. The hypothesis was

accepted. There was no significant data throughout the experiment. Although the black plastic

bag was the +, the clear plastic bag had a greater effect on the amount of seeds germinated

because it let more sunlight pass through it than the black plastic bag.

Conclusion

The expectation was that out of all the factors and variable combinations, the red color

and clear bag would germinate the most seeds out 15 (+,-). In the end, the hypothesis was

rejected. The red color of light and clear bag was expected to germinate the most seeds because it

was predicted that the clear bag would let the most sunlight in. After researching the unexpected

results, it was found that a darker color absorbs heat, affecting the germination of seeds at a

greater level. There were two other factor combinations (excluding the standards which also

surpassed it) that germinated more seeds than the +, - combination. This was not expected and

came as a surprise.

The main idea of this experiment is to test what makes the most seeds germinate over a

specific amount of time, using the chosen predictor variables. The tissue paper used different

colors. Each color had different wavelengths. The wavelengths, supposedly, caused the light to

reach the seeds from certain distances. The colors used were blue, violet, and red. These were

chosen because of the size differences in their wavelengths (Bliss). It also made it possible to test
 Johnson Nahin 17

how the phytochrome reacted to different colors and wavelengths. The bag type was mainly

based off of how much light could pass through each bag. The clear bag let the most light in; the

black bag let very little light in; and the plastic grocery bag let an adequate amount of light in.

Although the dark bag let in very little light, based on research, black material absorbs greater

amount of heat. One effect on the seeds while using the black bag could be how the colors were

ineffective with no light being able to reach through the bag because of its reflection (Donald).

This experiment is very different compared to other experiments due to the variables

tested. Most likely, no one has bothered to test the color of light on germination along with bag

types. Many researchers found out how different wavelengths let light to pass through with

different distances (Tester). This has caught much attention to this experiment, so it was then

decided to test how this works in an area rather than the soil.

One of the main flaws that occurred during the experiment was that the first 3-5 trials did

not germinate seeds well (the seeds were Italian bush garden beans), so that minimized the

amount of trials that could be done within the short period of time. Right after, it was found out

that the first batch of seeds were a failure, it was time to switch to some new seeds, which

worked out very well. During the procedure, one flaw that might have affected the standard is,

after the first trial, there was mold within the standard which was inside the grocery bag. After

the new seeds were acquired, the same bag was used. During the experiment, there were also

some days when the temperature had significant changes, which might have or might have not

affected the germination rate (Pollock).

Some improvements might have been needed back during the experiment. One future

improvement that is highly needed is testing more trials, especially since only 2 trials were
 Johnson Nahin 18

conducted. Another one is having a spare grocery bag, since the mold from the failed batch could

have possibly affected the current standards that were used. One more improvement could have

been the seed choice, or to at least have back up seeds.

The main field that the research of this experiment could have possibly helped in is

agriculture. Farmers always need ways to increase growth rate of plants. But germination always

comes before growth. Increasing the germination rate will make it likely that the plants will

survive longer. After all, germination determines the survival of a plant (Roberts). Another

problem that the research of this experiment could help or have an effect on is world hunger. The

specific experiment may not solve the problem, but it might lead to other ideas that may actually

solve it. The average germination rate of a bean seed is 3-7 days. The seeds in this experiment

germinated in the second day of the experiment. Not just that, but some seeds even germinated

the first day they were actually checked on.

During this experiment, there were many lessons learnt. One is to have backup seeds

when conducting an experiment related to germination, since people will never know when the

seeds currently being used will fail or backfire. Another is to have spare materials used during

the experiment, just in case they run out or run into failures. And last but not least, always be

prepared, so that researchers will not have to do everything right at the end.
 Johnson Nahin 19

Work Cited

Bliss, D., and H. Smith. "Penetration of Light Into Soil and Its Role in the Control of Seed

Germination." Plant, Cell & Environment 8.7 (1985): 475-483. <

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3040.1985.tb01683.x/abstract>.

Daigle, Donald J., and Peter J. Cotty. "Factors That Influence Germination and Mycoherbicidal

Activity of Alternaria Cassiae." Weed Technology (1991): 82-86. <

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3986793?

sid=21105831069893&uid=3739728&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256>.

Pollock, B. M., and Vivian K. Toole. "Imbibition Period as the Critical Temperature Sensitive

Stage in Germination of Lima Bean Seeds." Plant physiology 41.2 (1966): 221-229. <

http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/41/2/221.short>.
 Johnson Nahin 20

Roberts, E. H. "Dormancy: A Factor Affecting Seed Survival in the Soil." Viability of seeds.

Springer Netherlands, 1972. 321-359. < http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-

009-5685-8_11#page-1>.

Tester, M., and CHRISTINA MORRIS. "The Penetration of Light Through Soil."Plant, Cell &

Environment 10.4 (1987): 281-286. < http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-

3040.1987.tb01607.x/abstract>.