The independent variable is the length of time of the presoaking. The seeds will be presoaked for varied amounts of time, specifically 12 hours apart; they will be underwater for 0 hours, 12 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 60 hours, and 72 hours. While the dependent variable is the amount of seeds germinated. It shows what affect the presoaking had on the seeds. The controlled variable are the seeds that are not presoaked, they stay constant and do not affect the experiment.
Materials
- 210 black eyed beans
- 7 zip lock bags (6 1/2 inches X 5 7/8 inches)
- 7 Scott napkins
- 7 cups
- water
- Black marker
Method
- 210 beans were divided into 7 groups; each group had 30 beans each.
- Each group of 30 beans was placed in a cup and they were numbered with the hours that they were soaked resulting in seven 12 hour spans: 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72. Therefore the amount of time the beans are soaked is the independent variable. The time length is varied from 7 different hours.
- Once they were labeled with the black marker, every cup except the 72 hour cup was set aside
- The cup was filled with water and set aside in a well lit area
- Twelve hours later, the same process in step 3-4 was repeated with the 60 hour cup
- Step four was repeated in ascending order for 48 hours to 12 hours in twelve hour intervals leaving the control aside
- The zero hour group was put aside without presoaking; it is the control because water was not added. Beans that go without presoaking is the closest to the natural condition.
- The 7 bags were labeled according to the hours that they were soaked
- Once the cup that soaked for 12 hours completed its time, they were collected and drained
- The 7 napkins were dampened with water
- Without squeezing the water from the napkins, the 7 groups of beans were placed onto the 7 wet napkins. The napkin was folded once horizontally and placed into the 7 designated bags.
- The bags were closed and set aside in a well lit area.
- Each bag was checked for germinated beans for 7 days. The number of germinated beans was monitored therefore making it the dependent variable.
- The number of beans was recorded daily until the 7 day trial ended.
Data Collection
Table 1. The table above illustrates the number of beans that germinated during the 7 day trial. It also shows when the beans germinated.
Figure 1. The bar graph above compares the number of seed germination amongst the different groups.
Conclusion
The beans that were soaked for zero hours produced the most germinated beans. That specific group yielded 12 germinated beans while the other groups produced less than 4 germinated beans on average. Beans that were presoaked the most only had one bean germinate. Most of the beans germinated on day 2, day 3 and day 4. The results refute the hypothesis that if the seeds are presoaked for a longer length of time, then the seeds will have a greater chance of germination than seeds that have not been presoaked as long. Based on the experiment, presoaking negatively effects seed germination. Potential causes are the beans received too much water hence causing them to imbibe profusely.
Evaluation
The method proved to be faulty because the amount of the water in the napkin was not measured. It varied from group to group which could have affected the results. To prevent this mistake, the water to dampen the napkins will be measured.
Due to the results of the investigation, a further study can be conducted either on the rate of seed germination in different temperatures or on seed germination and exposure to light.
