• Our Research
    • Research Strategy
    • Research Sites
    • Current Research Projects
    • Research Results
    • Research Collaborations
    • Research Resources
    • Seed Industry Research Centre
    Current Research
    Current Research
    Research Results
    Research Results
  • Resources
    • Biosecurity
    • Crop Action
    • Nutrient Management
    • Maize
    • Templates and Calculators
    • Podcast
    • Cereals
    • Weeds
    • Pests
    • Seeds
    • Diseases
    • News
    • Environment
    • Schools
    Podcast
    Podcast
    Environment and Compliance
    Environment and Compliance
  • Levies & Returns
    • Arable Crops Levy
    • Maize Levy
    • Cereal Silage Levy
    • Farmer Annual Return Form
    • Wholesaler Annual Return Form
    Levies
    Levies
    Annual Returns
    Annual Returns
  • Events
  • News
  • About Us
    • Governance and growers
    • Business Strategy
    • Our People
    • Careers
    • Growers Leading Change
    • Women in Arable
    • Arable Ys
    • Arable Kids
    • Arable Research Groups (ARGs)
    Our People
    Our People
    Growers Leading Change
    Growers Leading Change
  • Ask FAR AI
  • Weather
  • Log In
Ask FAR AI
Weather
Log In
  • Homepage
  • Schools
  • Germination Trials

Germination trials

  • Estimated Time 45 minutes
  • Location Indoors
  • Time of Year All Year Round
  • Curriculum L3 & L4
  • Subject Science

Test different things that affect germination by setting up mini experiments.

Learning Intentions

Students will be able to:

  • set up a simple fair test to find which type of seed germinates faster.

What You Will Need:

  • Plastic shot glasses. These can be cleaned after use and will be handy for other experiments.
  • Cotton balls.
  • Small seeds such as rocket, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, beetroot, pak choi, etc.
  • Water.
  • A flat piece of plastic or cardboard.
  • Green masking tape. This type peels off cleanly.

Setting the scene

Often we need to know if one type of seed behaves differently than another. This can be important in a garden, nursery or on a farm. In this experiment you will test to see if one type of seed germinates faster than another. Links to other related experiments are below.

What to so

Asking a question

Your first experiment will attempt to answer the question:

"Which type of seed germinates faster, seed A or seed B?

The seeds used here are rocket and spinach, but they could be any types of seeds.

Steps to set up a basic fair test

  1. Place a teased out cotton ball in a plastic shot glass. Try and make the top of it flat, which makes it easier to position the seeds.
  2. Label it 'A'.
  3. Fill it up with water, then pour off the excess.
  4. Place several seeds of your chosen type evenly spaced on top of the cotton. Tweezers are helpful for this.
  5. Repeat using the same setup, but with a different type of seed. The key thing is that both set-ups are the same in all ways, except for the type of seed. This includes using the same number of seeds. Label this second set-up 'B'.

  6. Place a flat piece of plastic or cardboard over both shot glasses to keep the moisture in and leave them beside each other in a warm room. Check them daily and record your observations.
  7. Which seed type begins to germinate faster? To confirm this, make a data table for each seed type, showing the number of seeds that have germinated each day.
  8. Draw a bar graph to show your results. Day 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. should be on the bottom axis and Number of seeds germinated, on the side axis. Each seed type should be displayed with a different bar colour.

Question

If you wanted a quick crop of vegetables in your garden, or on a farm, which seed type, A or B, might give you a better head start?

Related resources

Five seed race

Some like it hot

Germination race

Related Resources

23 May 2025

Germination race

Read more
23 May 2025

Bean seed dissection

Read more
23 May 2025

Stages of germination

Read more
23 May 2025

The value of compost

Read more
23 May 2025

The need for nutrients

Read more
23 May 2025

Pollinator pulling power

Read more
23 May 2025

Five seed race

Read more
23 May 2025

Some like it hot

Read more
23 May 2025

Flowers for bees

Read more
23 May 2025

Weed Seed Dispersal Experiment

Read more

Ask FAR AI

Discover the power of AI with Ask FAR. Our new intelligent tool provides instant, accurate answers to your questions by searching the vast resources on the FAR website and linking you to the original document for further information. It’s fast, easy and reliable.

Start Chatting
  • Research
  • Levies and Returns
  • Resources
  • Events
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Schools
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

©2022 Foundation for Arable Research