Name: George-Anna Rochester

Topic: Germination/Growth of Dicot Seed

Date: October 18,2023

Aim: To investigate the growth of a dicotyledonous plant

Material: red peas, glass jars, newspaper, ruler

Method:
1. Three (3) soaked red peas seeds were placed in a transparent glass jar lined
with damp newspaper.
2. The red peas seedlings were observed as they grew over a 12-day period.
3. The increase in length of the stem (plumule) was measured on a daily basis
and this information was recorded in the table below.
4. The information in the table was used to plot a graph of the average height of
seedlings against days.

Observation:
TABLE SHOWING OBSERVATIONS OF 3 DICOTYLEDON SEED OVER 12 DAYS
a)
Time Height of stem (cm) Average height
(days) (cm)
1 2 3

1 0 0 0 0

2 0 0.2 0 0.1

3 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.5

4 0.9 1.5 1.0 1.1

5 2.0 3.1 1.5 2.2

6 3.0 5.0 1.7 3.2

7 4.2 6.8 1.9 4.3

8 5.8 7.2 3.7 5.6

9 8.1 9.1 3.9 7.0

10 9.2 10.8 4.8 8.3

11 9.4 11.4 5.1 8.6

b) On the first day the peas were planted there was no change; the peas stayed the same. On
the third day, the peas' radicles started to emerge from the seed, through the testa of
dicotyledon with the first and second peas growing to 1cm while pea three grew to 0.5cm. On
the sixth day, the peas were seen growing upward and curving while growing longer in the
process allowing the cotyledon and the plumules to grow significantly as well. On this day
pea one was at 5cm, pea two was at 5.5 cm and pea three was at 4cm. A root system also
started to form on this day On the ninth day, the stem of the seed continued to grow while
leaves began to sprout from the plumule with the cotyledons still attached to the stem about
midway. The first pea measured 9.5cm, the second pea measured 12.5cm and the third pea
measured 5.6cm. On the twelfth day, the cotyledons fell off the stem, as it got thicker and
grew larger. The leaves fully sprouted and were prominent; the heights were 21cm ,15cm,
and 9cm respectively.
Discussion:
Germination is defined as the process by which a seed develops into a new plant under
favorable conditions, such as the presence of light, water, temperature, etc. Germination
begins when the seed absorbs water and swells this then bursts through the testa . The embryo
formed is later differentiated into plumule (shoot part), radicle (root part), and cotyledons.
The shoot portion between cotyledon and plumule is known as epicotyl.
The root portion between the cotyledon and the radicle is called the hypocotyl. In the process
of germination, growth occurs. Growth is the permanent increase in the size of an organism.
There are two types of germination: Epigeal germination and hypogeal germination. Epigeal
germination has to deal with when the germination happens above the ground. This occurs as
the hypocotyl moves rapidly upward pulling the cotyledons which move above the soil.
It is mainly observed in the dicotyledonous seeds. Hypogeal germination has to deal with
when germination happens below the ground; the epicotyl elongates and cotyledon remains
below the soil. There are multiple ways to measure growth such as height, length, number of
organisms, mass, etc.

Explanation of Results:
A graph was plotted using the data from the table in the observation, with the average height
in cm on the y-axis and the number of days on the x-axis. In doing this a growth curve is
drawn, where growth is plotted against time. The shape of this graph can be described as
sigmoid-like or S-shaped . In the first three days, a phase called the lag phase occurred which
meant that growth was very slow during these days . The next phase to occur is the phase of
rapid growth; this occurred from days 4-9. The rapid growth meant that cells were dividing
and growing at a significant rate. In the days 10-12, the decelerating phase occurred which
means growth is slowing down on the final days. The color of cotyledons immediately after
germination is often cream or off-white due to the presence of stored nutrients. Cotyledons
play a crucial role in providing nutrients to the developing seedling until they can establish a
functional root system and start photosynthesis. Water is essential in the germination process.
This is because the seed absorbs water and initiates metabolic processes, activating enzymes
that break down stored reserves in the seed. These reserves often include carbohydrates,
proteins, and lipids. The cotyledons serve as the primary source of these stored nutrients for
the developing seedling. The increase in stem length is a good indicator of a plant’s growth;
this can be said because stem elongation is a common aspect of plant growth, and it reflects
the plant's ability to reach for light and optimize its positioning for better access to resources
to help the plant thrive. Using length to measure the growth of a seedling as a method is very
effective as length measurements are simple to take and provide straight straightforward and
quantifiable data without harming the plant. Two other methods that are often used to
measure the growth of a seedling are the root-shoot ratio and fresh weight or dry weight
measurements. Contrary to the initial cream-white color of the cotyledon that may change as
the seedling grows and begins to photosynthesize, producing its food through the green
chlorophyll-containing leaves, the color of the cotyledons will change. They might turn green
as chlorophyll is synthesized, allowing the plant to generate energy through photosynthesis.

Limitations: The rate at which each plant grew and the amount of sunlight they get each day.
Possible Source of Error: The length of each stem was inaccurately measured.

Conclusion:
The growth of dicotyledonous plants is assisted by the process of germination . There are
various ways of tracking this growth including stem length, fresh or dry weight, and leaf area,
providing valuable insights into the overall health and progress of these plants.