Soybean Germination Percent
Overview
Students will learn how to determine germination rates in seed.
Why would it be important to know the germination percentage of seeds? Will the seeds grow if I plant them?
Procedure
- Use 100 soybeans (you can use any number of soybeans just divide the number of seeds that germinated by the number of seeds used but 100 makes it easier for students to comprehend usually) from a seed bag or you can use harvested soybeans from a local field/elevator.
- Soak the soybeans overnight then wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a ziplock bag (to retain moisture) and place in a warm location.
- Check the results in two days.
- Divide the number of germinated seeds by the total number of seeds used.
- The seed industry uses this test to determine germination percentage, however, they also use a TZ test. The YouTube link below explains the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHEQkdmU-sk
For greater variability in germination you can boil the seeds ahead of time or use seed that is older (the older the seed gets the germination rate tends to fall).