Introduction
In botany, the radicle is the first part of a seedling (a growing plant embryo) to emerge from the seed during the process of germination. The radicle is the embryonic root of the plant, and grows downward in the soil (the shoot emerges from the plumule).
With today’s ever increasing global population, maintaining an adequate supply of food and agriculturally sourced resources is of paramount importance. Methods of increasing the effectiveness of the crop production have been around for centuries, some of these include genetically modifying organisms, crop protection chemicals, vertical farming, urban farming and hydroponic farming. Methods of producing crops more efficiently can have grand implications for general agriculture and the general populace. Seeds which are faster to mature can result in a healthier crop that positively impact the overall outcome of the harvest. Seed germination is a significant stage in the plant life cycle. Efficient germination is key for seedling establishment and ensures proper development of the plant. The addition of a hydrogen peroxide seed treatment can mean just that when it comes to commercially grown plant species. Studies have shown that hydrogen peroxide treatments can increase germination rates of various seed varieties.
If amaranth seeds are soaked in hydrogen peroxide solution before germination, then the germination rates will increase.
Methods
The setup of this experiment proceeds as follows.
The standardized variables for each study group will include temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity. The experiment will take place in a controlled environment grow room with an average temperature of 80℉ and an average relative humidity of 50%. All control and experimental groups will be placed on a wire shelving unit, 15 cm below a Fluence Bioengineering RAZRx LED grow light. The average light intensity will remain constant, at 237.5µmol/m2/s for the entire duration of the experiment.
The controlled variables in this experiment will include the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and the duration of soak. The control groups will be saturated with deionized water.
The hydrogen peroxide groups will be saturated with 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15% hydrogen peroxide. These concentrations will be created by making dilutions of 35% hydrogen peroxide with deionized water using a micropipette. The duration of the soak will be 24 hours
Each group will be prepared by labeling petri dishes with corresponding group identification names. A quantity of 25 seeds will be counted out for each group and placed in empty petri dishes. 25 mL of the respective soak solution will be pipetted into each petri dish, enough to fully saturate all seeds and accommodate for any evaporation. The control groups will receive deionized water, while the experimental groups will receive hydrogen peroxide of the appropriate concentration. All of the petri dish lids will be replaced to ensure consistent conditions among all groups. The petri dishes will be placed beneath the RAZRx grow light and left to sit for their respective soak durations. All groups will be photographed for visual identification and analysis at 12 hour intervals. All groups will be collected once they have reached their specified soak duration.
The remainder of the experiment includes placing the seeds in an ideal growing environment in which they will continue to germinate following their initial soak. All groups will be collected and placed in 200-cell plastic seed starting trays. The trays will be filled with inert coco-coir growing medium that has been saturated with a 3-1-2 NPK(nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio at a concentration of 1.0mS/cm2. The pH will be 6.0. One seed will be placed on the center of the medium in each cell and each tray will be covered with a humidity dome to ensure proper germination conditions. The trays will all be placed under a RAZRx grow light at a distance of 15 cm. The trays will be observed and photographed for accurate visual identification every 24 hours to measure germination rates. All groups will be ran in triplicate.
The data to be measured will include the percentage of germinated seeds relative to the total quantity of seeds in each trial group. The photographs of each group at 12 hour intervals will be analyzed and recorded on a spreadsheet. A bar graph displaying the recorded data for each trial group will be created.
The overall duration of this experiment will include the setup time of about 4 hours, in addition to the observation time of 48 hours.
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