Junyi

The effect of temperature on the germination of seeds.

 Introduction:I noticed that seeds in a higher temperature environment germinate

faster and stronger than those in a colder environment. For example, there are no
plants in Antarctica but in rain-forests there is a staggering number of plants. So
I’m curious about why seeds in higher temperature environments have a higher
rate of germination compared to seeds in lower temperature environments? I
want to figure out how temperature affects the germination of seeds? Do higher
or lower temperatures make the rate of germination higher?

 Question: How does temperature affect the time it takes seeds(species of the
seeds) to germinate?

 Hypothesis: I think the seeds in higher temperature environments will have a

higher rate of germination compared to seeds in lower temperature
environments.

 Information research: High temperatures affect plant growth in numerous ways.

The most obvious effect is linked to photosynthesis, in which plants use carbon
dioxide to produce oxygen; and respiration, an opposite process in which plants
use oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. “Experts at Colorado State University
Extension explain that both processes increase when temperatures rise.
However, when temperatures reach uncomfortably high limits (which depends
on the plant), the two processes become unbalanced. Tomatoes, for example,
get into trouble when temperatures exceed about 96 degrees F. (36 0C.). The
effect of temperature on plants vary widely, and is influenced by factors such as
exposure to sunlight, moisture drainage, elevation, difference between day and
night temperatures, and proximity to surrounding rock structure (“H. Dyer ” )
There is also an "optimum temperature" at which seeds germinate most readily.
In the case of beans, that optimum germination temperature is 80 degrees F. In a
perfect world, you would wait for the soil in your garden to be 80 degrees F before
planting your beans.”(Laliberte)

"Extreme temperatures (too hot or too cold) can inhibit fruit set on tomatoes and
other garden plants. Temperature as well as moisture level may affect the flavor
of fruits and vegetables. Hot weather can cause cool-season vegetables to bolt,
resulting in reduced production and changes in flavor.” (How weather affects
plants)
 Extremely hot or cold soil temperatures can also hamper plant growth, as well as
affect seed germination. Cool temperatures in fall trigger the plant to reduce
growth and store energy. As temperatures approach freezing, growth stops and
the plant (if perennial) becomes dormant. Plants are better able to withstand cold
temperatures when dormant. A sudden cold snap in late fall before the plant has
had a chance to harden off can do more harm than sustained cold temperatures
in mid-winter."(How weather affects plants)

 Identifies variables

variable what How

IV The temperature one is in the fridge (4°C),

one is outside, one is in
the basement.

DV The time of germination I will record the date and

and how many seeds have count the number of seeds
germinated that have already
germinated.

controlled The amount of water and I will put them in three

sunlight cups, and I will put a piece
of fabric in the bottom to
keep them wet, and also I
will put wet fabric over the
top of the cup. This fabric
could help to block out the
sunlight. I will water the
seeds every day.Over
watering and sunlight may
affect the result so I want
to avoid that.

 Methods

Materials: Bowls, pipette (to measure the amount of the water), soil, 200 seeds in
total and 50 per group, thermometer, water, fridge.

Procedure:

1. Set up three experiment groups. One is outside, one is inside (basement) and
one is in the fridge
 2. Each group contains 50 seeds. All of them are the same and healthy

3. Make sure each group is in a different temperature environment.

4. Put them in three different cups and put cloths on the bottom of the cups.
These cloths could help to block out sunlight.

5. Put them in three different environments (but other conditions are the same)

6. Record the number of seeds which germinate every day.

Keep the amount of water the same daily and minimize the amount of sunlight they
are exposed to.

 Collects sufficient relevant data

Date Outside Basement’s Fridge’s

temperature°C temperature°C temperature°C
(average temperature (average temperature (average temperature
in 5 days)/The in 5 days)/The in 5 days)/The
number of seeds number of seeds number of seeds
which germinated which germinated which germinated

June 3 21/0 18/0 4/0

June 8 20/20 22/38 4/0

June 13 28/30 21/39 4/0

June 18 30/32 25/40 4/0

June 23 33/34(19 were alive 22/40 4/0

and 25 died)

June 28 37/34(18 were alive 22/41 4/0

and 26 died)

 Organizes, transforms and presents data

Date The percentage of The percentage of The percentage of

seed germination seed germination in seed germination in
outside the basement the fridge

June 3 0÷50=0% 0÷50=0% 0÷50=0%

June 8 20÷50=67% 38÷50=76% 0÷50=0%

June 13 30÷50=60% 39÷50=78% 0÷50=0%

June 18 32÷50=64% 40÷50=80% 0÷50=0%

0÷50=0%

June 23 19÷50=38% 40÷50=80% 0÷50=0%

June 28 18÷50=36% 41÷50=82% 0÷50=0%

The rate of seed germination in total.

Outside:37.86% Basement: 79.2% Fridge:0%

THE RATE OF SEED GERMINATION

Outside Inside Fridge

79.20%

37.86%

0%

THE RATE OF SEED GERMINATION

Student t Test Exercise:

Group A
Temperature Number of how Deviation Deviation from the
many seeds from the (mean)^2
germinated mean(°C)

21 0 (21-23.71)x 0
0=0

20 20 （20-23.71) 13.76
x20=-7.42

28 10 (28-23.71)x 18.40
10=42.9

30 2 (30-23.71)x 39.56
2=12.58

33 2 (33-23,71)x 86.30
2=18.58

37 0 (37-23.71)x 0
0=0

(outside)Average temperature :23.71°C

N(A)=34

Group B

Tempera Number of how Deviation from the Deviation from the

ture many seeds mean (°C) (mean)^2
germinated
 18 0 0 0

22 38 (22-22.05)x38=-1.9 0.25

21 1 (21-22.05)=-0.95 0.9025

25 1 (25-22.05)=2.95 8.7025

22 0 0 0

22 1 (22-22.05)=-0.5 0.25

(inside) Average temperature :22.05°C

N(B)=41

Calculate the Variance: S^2B=(0.25X38+0.9025X1+8.7025X1+0.25X1)÷(41-1)=0.48

S^2A=(13.76X20+18.4X10+39.56X2+.3X2)÷(34-1)=21.54

Difference between Means: 23.71-22.05=1.66

Calculate the T:{23.71-22.05}/{(0.48÷41+21.54÷34)^1/2}=2.07

Degree of freedom:34+41-2=73

Result:One-sided=0.02，critical value=1.99

Since the value T(2.07) was larger than the critical value(1.99), the average number of these two
groups are dependent.

Conclusion: Through the T-test it can be concluded that the optimum temperature for seeds to
germinate is between 22 and 23°C, regardless of whether they are inside or outside. But other
conditions need to be the same, such as the amount of water and the quality and quantity of the soil.
Extreme hot or cold temperature will cause the rate of germination to slow down.

 Interpret data

Through these figures and the rate of germination, we could see that temperature does affect the
germination of seeds and higher temperatures or colder temperatures slow down seed
germination. There is an optimum temperature for seeds to germinate: 22-23°C. However, if the
temperature goes above or below this range than the rate of germination decreases. Here are
some pictures of my experiment

Beginning of my experiment:

June 3
June 6:
 (inside)

(outside)
June 15:

outside
In the fridge
 inside

June.20:
outside
inside
 In the fridge

 Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a correlation between the temperature and the rate of germination of the
seeds. The optimum ] temperature range is 22-23°C. Moreover, if the temperature exceeds the
scope or is much lower than this range the rate of germination decreases. For example, at 0°C
the seeds do not germinate, and at 37°C the rate of germination decreases. Higher
temperatures or lower temperatures do not lead to a higher rate of seed germination, and
there is an optimum temperature for seeds to germinate at.

 Evaluation

Comment on the validity of the method: I faced many challenges during this experiment:

First, I chose to have no more than three experiment groups. Three groups can't show any
minor disparities in temperature; on some days the temperature outside was similar to the
temperature inside. Secondly, I couldn’t make sure that each group had enough water to grow,
because I came home daily at 3:00 pm and some days were extremely hot so when I came
home, the seeds were already dry. This affected the final result. Thirdly, record keeping was
difficult. Some days I recorded the value in the evening, and at that time, the temperatures
inside and outside were similar so I couldn’t get an accurate comparison of the different
temperatures.

Comments on the validity of the hypothesis: The figures I got proved that my prediction was
wrong. High temperatures don’t cause a faster rate of seed germination. There is an optimum
range for seeds to germinate; in this range, seeds have the best rate of germination.
Temperatures above or below this range slow down the rate of germination. Germination did
not happen at all in the fridge.

Suggest Improvements: There are somethings I would improve next time. The first is to water
the seeds more frequently, ideally before school. The second is that I should record more
regularly. During the process of experimenting, I sometimes forgot to record the data, which
means some datas is missing. At the very beginning of the experiment, I recorded the first
three days but then forgot to keep recording my findings. Five days later when I rechecked the
seeds in the cups they were already germinated. The third is I should set up more groups of
seeds to make my conclusion more accurate. Three groups could help me to get an outcome
but if I set up more groups I would have better evidence.

Bibliography:

-H. Dyer, Does Weather Affect Plant Growth: Effect Of Temperature On Plants, Know
How,
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/temperature-on-p
lants.htm,accessed on July 11th 2019.

-Laliberte, When is it Warm Enough to Plant?, Gardeners,

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/when-is-it-warm-enough-to-plant/9029.html,acces
sed on July 11th 2019.

-How weather affects plants, University of lllinois Extension,

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/hkmw/downloads/55040.pdf, accessed on july 11th
2019.