bLaCk MaMbAs/ George Washington High School / GW_S07_002

School Level: High School
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Research Information


Research Question
Which seeds grow faster under conditions of sunlight, or artificial light?

Research Predictions
We believe that the seeds under the artificial light will germinate faster, because the rays of light will be directly above the pertri dishes, giving the seeds enough light to start sprouting(germinate).

Experimental Design
1. First we will choose 4 types of seeds. Pumpkin, tabacco,basil, and oats. We will gather 2 groups of each type of seed.

2. Second, we will place each group of seeds in their own petri dish (the dishes have been fiiled with cotton, and the seeds have been layed on top of the cotton). Altogether we will have 8 petri dishes.

3. Third, We place 4 petri dishes under artificial light (oats, pumpkin, basil, and tabacco) and under sunlight.

4.Fourth,we will water the seeds everyday and keep them under our supervision.




Research Conclusions
Well we can conclude that our hypothesis was actually wrong. The seeds that were placed under the sunlight germinated faster. Why? We think that maybe because it wasn’t under the light 24/7.That might have affected it maybe by overheating or giving it too much light. Anyways, we could have changed a few things like giving the seeds the same amount of light time so then things could have been different. Maybe we should have had a constant variable with the light hours. Furthermore, we learned about germination and how it works basically. We had a few ups and downs but overall it was a great experiment in our eyes.



Conversations - use this space to communicate about this project


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April 24, 2007 | 4:13 AM | Dr. Claire Hemingway

Thanks and Best Wishes
Thank you for sharing your plant research with us.

Exploring and examining how the natural world works is what we
love about being scientists. We were happy to share that experience with you.

All best wishes in your future endeavors. Perhaps we’ll see you in the community of plant
researchers again one day.

--Claire Hemingway and the entire PlantingScience crew.
April 18, 2007 | 9:17 AM | MeReLLy91  (Team Member)

Sonja
Why thanks Dr. Maki!Yes the cotton did hold the moisture well. Yes we did actually. We were a little surprised indeed.Thats why our prediction was incorrect.The seed that did the best in both types of light was the basil.Well the seeds in the light might have grown faster because the seeds under the artificial light might have gotten too much light. If you read our conclusion then you'd be able to see.

THANKS!!


Mirelle
April 18, 2007 | 1:38 AM | Dr. Sonja Maki  (Scientist/Mentor)

Hi from Sonja
It's great to see the progress of your experiment in the photos you posted! The cotton seemed to hold the moisture well. I was curious if you noticed whether the seeds from all types germinated faster in the sunlight? Or did one type of seed do better under artificial light? Why do you think the seeds placed in sunlight to grew faster?

Have fun thinking about the results of your experiment!

Sonja



Sonja
April 17, 2007 | 9:19 AM | MeReLLy91  (Team Member)

Mr. Dahl
Well the plants that were placed under the sunlight sprouted faster so that mens that our hypothesis was incorrect.The pumpkin seed did push the lid off actually . Thank you for your consideration Mr. Dahl!
April 17, 2007 | 6:28 AM | Mr. Bill Dahl

How's it going?
Pleased your plants survived spring break! Which seemed to have the better growth rate, artificial or real light? SO did the pumkin plant grow out of the dish or just push the lid off?
April 9, 2007 | 3:08 AM | carolina15  (Team Member)

Kristina
Well thank-you for your comment and according to our observations, we think that our seeds will grow faster under artificial light.
April 9, 2007 | 2:50 AM | MeReLLy91  (Team Member)

Kristina
Well we chose the combination of seeds because they were the only ones given to us during our biology class.We noticed that all of the seeds are usesd in some way.The pumpkin for eating,the basil for garnishing,the tobacco for smoking,and the oats for eating usage as well.So humans use these seeds in many different ways.We think that the seeds that are under the artificial light will grow faster.
April 1, 2007 | 1:33 PM | kristinalg13  (Student, The Fermenters - NAZ_S07_003 · 3)


Hi Black Mambas!!
Your experiment sounds interesting. I too think you chose a very unusual combination of seeds. Is there any particular reason why you chose the seed you did? Are they related in any way? Do you think that all the seeds will grow better in the artificial light or do you think it will vary depending on the seed?
Good Luck!
Kristina-Nazareth College
March 30, 2007 | 12:31 AM | Dr. Sonja Maki  (Scientist/Mentor)

Hello from Sonja
Hi Everyone,

You have picked an interested group of seeds to study. I used to do research on pumpkin and have grown tobacco here in the lab for research also. Tobacco seeds are quite small aren't they!

I was curious about the details of the sunlight treatment. Are you placing the petri dishes on a window sill by a window? You might think about having the artificial lights on for the same duration as the sunlight to keep light exposure the same between treatments.

Gathering data on seed germination is fun. I have done this before and found it useful to design sort of a data log sheet and recording the day the radicle (root tip) emerged from each seed.

Have fun making your observations.

All for now,
Sonja
March 27, 2007 | 6:04 AM | Mr. Bill Dahl

Great!
I think you'll find the results very interesting in the early stages of your research. I look forward to seeing a graph of your data as it starts to come in.
March 27, 2007 | 2:50 AM | Isom51  (Team Member)

Thanks
Thank you for your advice Mr.Dahl,we altered our previous research question with a third trial.
March 23, 2007 | 2:23 AM | Dr. Sonja Maki  (Scientist/Mentor)

Hello blaCk MambAs
Sonja Maki here. I'm looking forward to interacting with you as you research the effect of different light sources on seed germination. Have fun designing your data sheets and collecting the results. The addition of a dark environment is a great idea. I am also looking forward to seeing your data sheets on-line. Please let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

Have fun!
All for now,
Sonja Maki
March 22, 2007 | 9:30 PM | Mr. Bill Dahl

Welcome!
Welcome to PlantingScience and the community of science researchers. I have the pleasure of introducing you to your scientist mentor, Dr. Sonja Maki. She will be working with you over the next few weeks. We are all looking forward to following your research. At this early stage can I suggest you add a third trial - try germinating a group of seeds in a dark environment. I look forward to seeing your data sheet and journals online. Remember, science is all about data driven results. Have fun as you watch the data collect verify or disprove your prediction. All the best with your project! - Bill




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