PHISIOLOGY

(SBF 3013)

SEMESTER 2 2011/2012

MINI PROJECT : SEED GERMINATION

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 18th May 2012

LECTURER’S NAME : DR NORJAN BINTI YUSOF

GROUP : A

GROUP MEMBERS :

MARLISA BINTI SAU D20101037418

NUR HAYATI BINTI YUSOFF D20101037439

NORFARRAHDILAH BINTI AMIR D20101037438

SITI SALWA BINTI ABDULLAH D20101037439

Title :

Seed germination

Background of study :

Seeds wait to germinate until three needs are met that are water, correct temperature, and

a good location such as in soil. During its early stages of growth, the seedling relies upon the

food supplies stored with it in the seed until it is large enough for its own leaves to begin making

food through photosynthesis. For that, we will come up with their own variables to test the

hypothesis that made and then conduct the experiment. We will also examine the numerous

abiotic and biotic factors that affect seed germination and plant survival. Generally, problems

with soil, water, or fertilizer often limit plant growth. It takes several weeks to germinate seeds

and grow seedlings. Every other day, we need to spend a few minutes checking their seeds for

germination and recording data. So, we start the observation and research to find out what types

of nutrients that plants really need to promote a better grow. We apply the scientific method in

this research.

Objective

1. To study the effect of water, fertilizer and houguland solution in the growth of the plants.

2. To determine which factor that effect plant’s growth.

3. To be able to apply the scientific method while doing this experiment.

Hypothesis

The plants with houguland solution will growth healthy and fresh compare to plant with fertilizer

and water.

Methodology

1. Design

The experiments used three different factors that effect the growth of the plant which are water,

fertilizer and houguland solution.

2. Apparatus

Soil, seed of okra plant, organic fertilizer, polybag and houguland solution.

3. Procedure

This experiment starts with germination of the seed of okra plant. Nine polybag is used where

three polybag is used for control, three polybag for fertilizer and the other three for houguland

solution. The first week all the plants are supplied with water only. After a week, the three

polybag is supplied with organic fertilizer and the other three is supplied with houguland

solution. The three remaining polybag is used as a control for this experiment. The organic

fertilizer and the houguland solution are added to the plant once a week. The length and width of

leaves of the okra plant is measured and the number of leaves is calculated. The experiment is

observed for four week and all the result is tabulated in the table.

Discussion

The ovule matures into a seed before it is dispersed from the parent plant. The seed is the

mature ovule and consists of a seed coat, endorsperm and embryo. In angiosperms it is enclosed

within a fruit. The structure of seed contains seed coat and endosperm. The seed coat is known as

the testa that normally formed from one or both interguments whereas the endosperm is triploid

cell which dividing immediately after fertilization and sometimes an acellular mass is forming.

After the first transverse cell division, the upper cell forms the shoot, cotyledons and also the

root.

The germination of the seeds is important stages in plant growth. Even though the embryo is

formed and has its primary tissue well develops, the mature seed may be stored for varying

periods of time and still retain its viability. Viability is the abilty of seed to germinate. Only

when the proper environmental conditions are provided, the seed revitalized and produced a

seedling. The environmental requisites for seed germination include suitable oxygen

concentrations, temperatures, moisture, and in some cases light. When those requirements are

fulfill, water penetrated the seed, the tissues of the endosperm consisting of stored foods like

macromolecules of starch, protein or lipids and cotyledons start the metabolic process called the

digestion. The breakdown of these macromolecules into their simpler components.

We can see through naked eye, the imbition process produced a swollen seed, with a large

increase in volumes and weight simply from the uptake of water. The growing point of the shoot

above the point of cotyledon attachment is called the epicotyls, and the section of stem below the

cotyledons is called the hypocotyls. At the base of the hypocotyls, the transition zone separates

the shoot from the root. The growing tip of the epicotyls is usually reffered to as the plumule.

Picture 1 : Seed germination

A majority of growing plants contains as much as 90 percent water. Water is one of the

most essential factors required in growth of plants. Water plays a crucial role for efficient

photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and transportation of minerals and other nutrients

through the plant. Water is also responsible for functioning of the stomata opening of leaves and

also the source of pressure for the directed growth of roots through the soil. If a plant’s soil has

too much water, the roots can rot and the plant cannot get enough oxygen from the soil. If there

is not enough water for a plant, the nutrients it needs cannot travel through the plant. A plant

cannot grow if it does not have healthy roots, so the proper balance of water is key when

growing plants.

Organic fertilizers are naturally occurring fertilizers for example compost, manure, or

naturally occurring mineral deposits. The naturally occurring organic fertilizer includes manure,

slurry, worm castings, peat, seaweed, humic acid, and guano. Organic fertilizers will help

improve the soil of plants. Healthy soil is the long term key to success of growth of plants.

Without fertile soil, plants cannot thrive. We have to keep the soil healthy and replenished with

rich, natural minerals and organic matter and everything else will grow healthy and strong.

Organic fertilizers do not contain nutrients in easily usable form. When they are mixed

into the soil, the microorganisms like bacteria that are in the soil, have to work on the fertilizer,

break it up and release the nutrients. This is a slow process and so there is no danger that too

many nutrients are ever available to the plant. As such there is no chance for a ‘plant burn’ when

organic fertilizers are used. Since organic fertilizers need these microbes to work on them to

release the nutrients, they end up stimulating the growth of these microorganisms, ensuring long

term fertility of the soil.

Nutrition is just as important in plants. Cellular metabolism leading to the production of

the organic molecules characteristic of all life requires only a few essential elements. In spite of

this chemical and geological diversity, only sixteen elements are considered essential for all

plants. Each element, whether a macroelement or microelement, does have a specific function in

seed plant growth. All these nutrients we called it as houguland. Each of these nutrients has a

critical function in plants and is required in varying amounts in plant tissue. Macronutrients

nutrients required in the largest amount in plants. It can be broken into two more groups which

the primary nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These major nutrients usually are

lacking from the soil first because plants use large amounts for their growth and survival. The

secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. There are usually enough of these

nutrients in the soil so fertilization is not always needed.

Micronutrients like iron, copper, manganese, zinc, boron, molybdenum and chlorine are

required in relatively smaller amounts. Additional mineral nutrient elements which are beneficial

to plants but not necessarily essential include sodium, cobalt, vanadium, nickel, selenium,

aluminum and silicon. The nutrient elements differ in the form they are absorbed by the plant, by

their functions in the plant, by their mobility in the plant and by the plant deficiency or toxicity

symptoms characteristic of the nutrient.

Plants require 13 mineral nutrient elements for growth. The elements that are required or

necessary for plants to complete their life cycle are called essential plant nutrients. Additional

mineral nutrient elements which are beneficial to plants but not necessarily essential include

sodium, cobalt, vanadium, nickel, selenium, aluminum and silicon. Apart from the mineral

nutrients, plants also required the non-minerals nutrients to promote their growth. These non-

mineral nutrients are such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The nutrient elements differ in the

form they are absorbed by the plant, by their functions in the plant, by their mobility in the plant

and by the plant deficiency or toxicity symptoms characteristic of the nutrient.

When some of these nutrients are not being well diffuse into the plants, this situation can

lead to plant nutrients deficiency or toxicity. Nutrient deficiency or toxicity symptoms often

differ among species and varieties of plants. A nutrient deficiency occurs when the nutrient is not

in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of the growing plant. Nutrient toxicity occur when a plant

nutrient is in excess and decreases plant growth or quality. One way to understand the

differences in nutrient deficiency symptoms among the plants is by knowing the function and the

relative mobility of the nutrient within the plant. Table 3 describes the general symptoms of

nutrient deficiency and excess often observed for those nutrients. Some nutrients, such as

nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, chlorine and zinc, can be easily remobilized within

the plant from old plant parts to actively growing plant parts such as young leaves. Other

nutrients, such as sulphur, iron, copper, manganese, boron and calcium, are not easily

remobilized within the plant. Therefore, the deficiency of the mobile elements usually initially

occurs with older leaves while that of the immobile nutrients occurs with the young leaves or

stem tips.

There are five types of deficiency or toxicity symptoms that usually can be observed on

plants. The first one is chlorosis where some parts of the plants tissue become yellow tissue due

to limitations on chlorophyll synthesis. This yellowing can be generalized over the entire plant,

localized over entire leaves or isolated between some leaf veins. Contrastly, necrosis is the

disease that the plant tissue dies sometimes in spots. Other than that, plants also easily turn to a

purple or reddish colour due to the accumulation of the anthocyanine in their body structure and

the plants are lack of new growth. However, sometimes the new growth continues but it is

stunted or reduced compared to normal plants. Sometimes, nutrient deficiencies are mistaken for

insects and disease problems, drought, heat stress, cold stress and salt stress but after some

experience, it becomes easier to spot specific deficiencies in some plants.

We measured the height of plants, the width of leaves and the number of leaves everyday.

In the second day, we can see all the okra plant only have cotyledons. Then, only the next few

days the width of the leave can be measure. For the okra plant that is supplied with tap water, the

height of the plant, the width of leave and the number of leave is increase for the first week. The

result is same for the okra plant that is supplied with houguland solution and organic fertilizer.

Among these three treatments, the okra plant that is served as a control in this experiment has the

highest height which is 5.5 cm. Then in the second week, we can see the change in length of the

okra plant where it continues to increase in the length of the plant. The width of the leave also

increase but the number of the leave is only increase slightly in the 13 th day. The increase in the

length of plant, the width of leave and the number of leave is probably because of the okra plant

get enough nutrients that is needed for growth.

After two week, we can see the growth of the plant is much growing and fresh. Overall,

the result show the length of the okra plant is constantly increasing same as the increasing in the

width of the okra plant. The number of the leave is not increase every day. The number of leave

rise only in certain day. We can see the growth of plant better based on their length and the width

of the plant. At the end of the week 4, we can conclude that the plant that serves as the control

for this experiment has the highest length compare to the plant that is supplied with the organic

fertilizer and houguland solution which is 20 cm for control okra plant, 18.5 cm for okra plant

with the houguland solution and 17 cm is okra plant that supplied with organic fertilizer. Based

on the result obtain, we can calculate the average measurement of the okra plants. For the length

of the okra plant, the average is around 11.8 cm for plant with tap water, 11.3 cm for the plant

that has houguland solution and 11.0 cm for the plant with the organic fertilizer. The average of

the width of the plant is around 1.3 cm for plant with the organic fertilizer and 1.8 cm for both

plant that serve as the control for the experiment and the plant with the houguland solution.

Besides that, the dry mass for the plant that serve as control is 0.180 g, 0.169 g for plant

that contain organic fertilizatioan and 0.396 g for plant that contain houguland solution. From the

data result, we can see the grow of the plant when treated with tap water shows a greater growth

compared the plant that treated with houguland and fertilizer. In the theory, it state that the plant

with houguland solution will grows fresh and healthy, but from our experiment we get the result

plant that supply with water more fresh and healthy. This may occured due to not get enough

sunlight and the plant is watered not constantly everyday. Other than that, the nutrient in

houguland is probably more than enough that is need for the growth of the plant. That is why the

the length of plant with houguland solution is shorter than the plant with tap water.

Conclusion

From our observation and measurements, we found that the hypothesis is not accepted.

After completed the experiment, it shows the plant that have been threated with tap water only

has the greatest rate of growth compared the houguland and fertilizer treatments. During this

project, we have learned how to conduct the experiment with scientific methods. Otherwise, a

group cooperation and team work needed to complete this project.

References

David R. Hershey (1995). Plant biology science projects. United States : John Wiley & Sons.

Roles of the 16 essential nutrients in crop development. Get on May 17, 2012 at

http://www.eldoradochemical.com/fertiliz1.htm

W.F. Bennett (1993). Nutrient dificiencies & toxicities in crop plant. Get on May 16, 2012 at

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/BotanicalSciences/PlantHormones/

EssentialPlant/EssentialPlant.htm

Five advantages for organic fertilizer get at

http://edu.udym.com/five-advantages-of-organic-

fertilizers/ on Mei 16th 2012.