hhasty15

In my plant science class I have designed an experiment to test the success of Partridge Pea germination depending on the amount of water it receives and whether or not it is put through a short chill. The seeds were split into two groups, each group having two treatments and a control. All seeds were received from a seed-bank-like facility at my school. The first group was put through a chill; I placed the seeds in a refrigerator for a week. The second group was not put through a chilling process. The controls for the group were sanitized and then put in separate papers that retain water well and then put into dark chamber containers. The first treatment for each group was sanitized then soaked for 24 hours in water, they were then also placed in paper and containers like with the control group. The second treatment was sanitized as well and then soaked for 72 hours in water and placed in paper and containers. My class focuses on thinking up ways to improve a prairie ecosystem. I am doing this experiment in hopes of discovering more ideal ways of ensuring germination of native prairie plants. I am thinking that seeds that seeds that go through a chill or a winter will have better success than those that come from a seed bank where the seeds have never really experienced the cold; I also think that seeds will do better given more water. Let me know what you think of my experiment, any critiques or advice would help!