Name:_______________________________ Date: _______________________

Course/Year/Block: ________________ Instructor: ___________________

LABORATORY ACTIVITY
SEED GERMINATION

Introduction 
The activation of metabolic machinery of seed embryo is the first and
foremost step to initiate the seed germination process Thus, seed germination
is the process of reactivation of the metabolic activity of the seed embryo,
resulting in the emergence of radical (root) and plumule (shoot), thus leading to
the production of a seedling or a young plant. Seed germination is a very
complex process as it involves many biochemical, physiological and
morphological changes within a seed. For germination to be initiated, three
conditions must be fulfilled First, the seed must be viable i.e the embryo
should be alive and capable of germination. Second, the seed should be non-
dormant i.e there should not be any dormancy or any chemical barrier for
germination Third, the environmental conditions like moisture, temperature,
air (O2) and light must be available in appropriate amount. If all these
conditions are fulfilled, the quiescent embryo in the seed will resume growth,
thus initiating the process of germination. In the early stages of growth, the
embryo draws nutrients from the stored food material in the cotyledons or the
endosperm of Later, new shoot/leaves are developed, which produce their own
photosynthetic system.
Stages of seed germination: The process of seed germination involves
several consecutive but overlapping events like (a) absorption of water,(b)
initiation of cell enlargement and division, (c) increased enzymatic activity, (d)
food translocation to growing embryo, (e) increase in respiration and
assimilation, (f) increase in cell division and enlargement and (g) differentiation
of cells into tissue and organs of a seedling.
A simple way to get an idea of the actual field germination prior to
planting is to conduct a “ragdoll” test. A “ragdoll” consists of a rolled tube of
moistened paper containing the seeds to be tested for germination, placed in
plastic bag and stored in a warm place for several days. Seedlings are counted
as they germinate and are removed, giving the percentage of actual
germination. A germination test determine the percentage of seeds that are
alive in any seed lot. The level of germination in association with seed vigor
provides a very good estimate of the potential field performance. Acceptable
seed germination rate is 85% - 100%.

Types of Seed Germination:

1. Epigeal Germination

During epigeal, the cotyledon is pushed out of the soil. This happens due to
the rapid growth and elongation of the hypocotyl. E.g., castor and bean.

2. Hypogeal Germination

During hypogeal germination, cotyledons remain below the soil due to the
rapid elongation of epicotyl. It mostly occurs in monocotyledonous seeds.
E.g. Maize.
Requirement for Seed Germination:
1. Seed maturity- most seeds can germinate before physiological maturity.
Some seeds only reach maximum germination after slow drying.
2. Environmental factors:
Water: Water holds a very important role in the process of seed
germination. Most of the seeds are dry and need a significant amount of
water, depending on the dry weight of the seed to activate the
germination process. Water provides hydration for the essential
activities of protoplasm, provides dissolved oxygen for the growing
embryo, makes the seed coats soft and enhances the seed permeability.
Apart from this, water also helps in the conversion of insoluble food to a
soluble form, translocation of food materials and rapturing of seeds.
Oxygen: Seeds require oxygen for aerobic respiration till the time they
develop leaves. Oxygen acts as a source of energy for seed growth and
plays an important role in the germination of seeds for metabolism.
Temperature: Temperature is also an important factor in activating
germination as protoplasm cannot carry on vital activities at a very low
or very high temperature. Different types of seeds have different
temperature requirements; most of them require approximately 2525-
30∘C30∘C
Light: Most of the seed requires sunlight to germinate into a seedling.

Objectives:
After this activity, the student will be able to
1. Understand seed germination.
2. Explain the process of seed germination.
3. Perform and accomplish the ragdoll method of seed germination.
 4. Calculate for the seed germination
Materials:
Fifty pieces of vegetable seeds of your choice.
Paper towel/ Cotton Cloth
Water
Paper and Pencil
Methodology:
1. Use one cotton cloth or its equivalent. The “soft” very absorbent
cotton cloth often used in a kitchen make poor ragdolls. They allow
roots and tops to penetrate the fiber, making seedlings difficult to
remove for counting. Regardless of which type of towel is used, it is
necessary to squeeze all excess water from the towels to prevent
seed rotting. Too much water causes a lack of oxygen; growth of
roots of will be more retarded than that of shoots under these
conditions.
2. After the towel has been squeezed rather firmly, lay it flat. (a) Count
out 50 seeds and place them on half of the towel (b) Fold the towel
in half and roll it into a round tube. (c) Place the tube inside a
plastic bag and seal it. Place the plastic bag in a warm place,
preferably on top of a refrigerator or in a cool dry place. A
temperature of 30 °C (85°F) is recommended, but seeds will
germinate at room temperature (21°C or 70°F).

3. Make the first count in about 4 days. Open the cotton cloth/ towel, count
the seedlings and remove them. After another 3 to 4 days, make a second
count. When 50 seeds were used, the number of seeds removed equals the
percentage of germination. If seeds were not counted initially, count the
remaining seeds and calculate the germination percentage. 

  

It is a good idea to retain a small number of seed lots that were planted
so if the desired stand was not achieved, you can check germination
again to be sure whether or not the problem was due to bad seed. If
seeds do not germinate in the environmental conditions of a properly
prepared ragdoll, do not expect much success when planting them in the
field.

Seeds Germinated
% germination= X 100
Total no. of seeds

Evaluation:
1. In your own opinion, why is it important to test seed germination
before planting in the field?
2. What seeds did you germinate?
3. What is the seed germination of your seed? Is it acceptable?
4. How did you find this activity? Did you encounter any problems?
How did you handle them?
Documentation:
Note: When taking photo documentation, don't forget to capture what
you are doing before and after the activity. It is advised that you, if
possible, take a whole-body photograph showing your seed germination
activity. Make sure that every photo has a caption. You can also send a
video to your faculty-in-charge.