JANICE CHAN 11D1

MS. RYAN 3RD DECEMBER 2013

How does colour aect seed

germination and growth?
Objective
To be able to determine whether the colour of light will aect the rate of plant germination and
growth. Questions I would like to answer would be:
1.

Which light color would be the most advantageous to plant growth: black, white , blue, green,
yellow, orange or red?

2.

Which color was the most disadvantageous to plant growth?

3.

How does the colour spectrum aect the growth and germination of plants?

Hypothesis:
I expect to see more seeds germinate within the green or yellow petri dishes more since
green and yellow are more natural colours that we see in nature, rather than blue, red or
orange. White and black are tones and not colours. But if I included them in my
experiment, I expect the seeds in the white petri dish to germinate faster, whist the seeds in
the black petri dish to germinate slower. This is due to the fact that plants require bright
light for energy to grow and photosynthesize, and black will block out the light.

Needed Materials for the Experiment

Green cellophane 10cm x 10cm

Scissors

Orange cellophane 10cm x 10cm

Glue or tape

Blue cellophane 10cm x 10cm

7 petri dishes

Clear cellophane 10cm x 10cm

35 grams of wool

Yellow cellophane 10cm x 10cm

Red cellophane 10cm x 10cm

Water
Mung Beans

Independent Variable
Colour of light due to the dierent colours of cellophane

Dependent Variable
Number of seeds Germinated

Control Variables
Amount of Water - 35ml
Same type of beans - Mung Beans
PAGE 1 OF 5

Mass of cotton wool - 5g

Light Intensity - In front of the window
Number of seeds per dish - 6
Time - 3 days

SCIENCE - BIOLOGY

JANICE CHAN 11D1

MS. RYAN 3RD DECEMBER 2013

Time - 3 days

Apparatus:
Balance Scale

Name tag and labels

50ml Measuring cylinders

Petri Dishes

Experiment Plan of Procedure

1.

Gather all equipment and apparatus required and listed

2.

Measure 5 grams of cotton wool on a balancing scale for each petri dish and spread
them out evenly.

3.

Place 6 Mung Beans that are equally spread out, onto each petri dish on top of the
cotton

4.

Cut out pieces of coloured cellophane that are measured 10cm by 10cm and glue or tape
to stick them onto the cover of the petri dishes.

5.

Use the 50ml measuring cylinder to measure 35ml of water for each petri dish and pour
them into the cotton wool.

6.

When measuring the water, view the water at eye level for accuracy.

7.

Place the cover back onto the petri dish

8.

Take labels to write down my name on top in case it mixes with other peoples
experiments.

9.

Place the petri dishes next to a window, preferably in similar locations and area which
could have contact with direct sunlight.

10. Return every 24 hours for 3 days to check number of seeds that has germinated and

record results.

How did I change my procedures and why:

I only used blue, yellow, orange, red and green cellophane instead of the black and white

cellophane. This was because black and white were considered a tone and not a colour
that would appear in a coloured spectrum

I did not use the measurements of 10cm by 10cm to measure the size of the cellophane

film because it was too large and a waste to use to much, so I had cut it into 8cm by 8cm
sizes. But most of them were cut into uneven sizes since the cellophane were already cut
up into dierent and uneven shapes.

Instead of using 35 milliliters of water, I only used 30 milliliters since it was enough to get

all of the cotton wool moist and damp.

I was also unable to get an accurate measurement of 5 grams of cotton wool, so I only

took even sized and weight proportions of cotton wool due to my senses and not
measurement.

PAGE 2 OF 5

SCIENCE - BIOLOGY

JANICE CHAN 11D1

MS. RYAN 3RD DECEMBER 2013

Results table for the Number of beans germinated each day prior
to the colour of light they grow within.
Colour of
cellophane film

Number of beans germinated each day

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Blue

Orange

Red

Green

Yellow

PAGE 3 OF 5

SCIENCE - BIOLOGY

JANICE CHAN 11D1

MS. RYAN 3RD DECEMBER 2013

Conclusion
My results show that blue light is the best light source for seed germination within the
colours I have chosen. Whilst the colours red, orange and green were the worst light source
as the least amount of seeds were germinated. Therefore, my hypothesis was wrong as the
colours green and yellow were certainly not the most advantageous colours.
Through further research into this investigation, I have found out that the spectrum of light
hugely aects the amount of energy a plants chlorophyll would take in. The chlorophyll
absorbs light energy due to the dierent wavelengths in the spectrum.
The highest energy light is at the
purple or violet end of the scale.
This is because the blue and
purple colour side of the scale has
the shortest wavelengths of light.
Therefore, the more shorter the
wavelength, the more energy the
colour has. This is probably why
the blue seed had germinated the
fastest.

Evaluation
Colour of Cellophane
I thought I did a good job handling this control variable as I have evenly spread across the
cellophane film across the petri dish covers. However, I have wrinkled some of the film and
there was even a tear through the green cellophane film. The wrinkles may have caused an
overlap in layers of the cellophane film and this may cause dierent light intensities in
reaching the seed. The tear within the film may have caused a flaw in my experiment as
natural sunlight would be able to reach the seeds. Next time I could use a stronger piece of
cellophane film, or be more careful when spreading the cellophane films.
Bean placements
Through out the experiment, I have moved the bean placements around and tried to face
the bean downwards so that the beans radicals were facing downwards into the water, in
order to soak the water more eciently. I have also moved the beans around to enable more
space for growth. The movement of the beans may have caused a flaw in accuracy.
Flaws in the Beans
Some of the beans became moldy within the first 2 days and were not able to grow or
germinate any longer. Some of the beans did not germinate or had any colour change at all.
Results could possibly be improved next time by possibly repeating the experiment or
including more beans for a larger scale of results.
PAGE 4 OF 5

SCIENCE - BIOLOGY

JANICE CHAN 11D1

MS. RYAN 3RD DECEMBER 2013

Light Intensity
Some of my beans received dierent light intensities due to the fact that the Sun was most
shining from one direction as some of my petri dishes were placed behind a pillar. The
blinds of the window may have been shut within time periods and this could have aected
the amount of light shining on each petri dish. If I were to do this experiment next time, I
would move my petri dishes out door so that the beans would not be shaded by window
blinds or building pillars.
Water
After the second day of my experiment, some of the wool in the petri dishes had completely
dried out and no water was left. This may have aected the growth of the beans and could
have possibly stunted their growth. Next time I do this experiment, I could add a bit more
water, perhaps 5-10 milliliters more. This could give the beans enough water to absorb
through the course of 3 days. Some of the water had also evaporated onto the cover of the
petri dish and produced water droplets on the cover. The could have aected the light
intensity directed at the beans. The water droplets could have refracted or refracted the light
directed to the bean. This could possibly be improved by loosening the cover so that more
water droplets could escape, or I could wipe the water droplets o.

Pictures of my experiments

Labels stuck on
cellophane film

Some had a lot of

water vapour

PAGE 5 OF 5

Germinating beans Day 1

Some petri covers

had no water vapour

Some petri dishes

were placed in dark
areas with less light

SCIENCE - BIOLOGY