2BGU APES

Liceo Campoverde

Salinization lab - germinating seeds

Introduction
Salt accumulation is an existing or potential hazard on almost all of the 55 million acres of irrigated farmland in
the United States. Much of the world’s unused land is in arid and semi-arid regions where irrigation will be
necessary. Excessive salinity is presently costing the U.S. billions of dollars in lost food crops.

Natural salinisation may result from:

1. the retreat of sea water
2. mineral weathering
3. dust or from rainfall

Most salinisation of agricultural land results from artificial irrigation. Water naturally contains some salts and
when water is applied to soils for crop irrigation, the plants absorb the water from the soil, leaving behind an
ever-increasing concentration of salts. The high concentration of salts slows down the osmotic diffusion of water
into the plant roots, so farmers often then apply more water in order to leach the minerals out of the soil. Salts
may rise to the surface of soil due to capillary action and this can form a salty crust over the soil. Surface water
also evaporates, leaving behind more salts.

Salt-tolerant crop or commercial plants include wild rice, quinua, sugar beet, date palm, pitaya, alfalfa, pearl
millet, barley, eucalyptus and neem, noni and tea tree. Farmers are often forced to plant these crops when their
soils become salinised.

Salt kills germinating seedlings by causing water to leave cells due to (ex)osmosis. The cells collapse -
plasmolyise. Several salts and their ions are responsible: NaCl, CaCl, KCl, MgCl, MgSO4, HCO3 – CO3 –
MgCO3, NO3-, NH4+, K+.

Resource information: http://www.biosalinity.org/

Objective
In this investigation, you will design an experiment to investigate the effect of salt on the germination of radish
(rabana) seeds. After conducting the investigation you will prepare a report on your findings.

Group size
Two or three students

Lab length
Five to ten days, one day to design and set up and five to ten minutes on other days to check seed germination
and measure growth.

Preparation and prep time

This lab requires very little prep time as materials used are readily available.

Materials/equipment
Petri dishes or bowls Distilled water Seeds
Paper towels Test tubes Forceps
Labels Balances Graduated cylinders
Flasks and beakers Ziplock bags Salts (NaCl and others available)

Safety/Disposal
At the conclusion of the experiment, materials should be cooked, microwaved, or buried to eliminate spread of
any plant disease-causing agent. Even healthy seeds can harbour pathogens.

Advice and Tips

 What will be measured? How? You need to understand that you are testing the effects of different
concentrations of salts on germination, so you need to decide upon some way of measuring germination. The
growth of the radicle or plumule?
 What kind of water will be used as a base?
 How much salt is in the local tap water? Is it significant in this investigation? What salts are present?
 What will you use as a control? The procedure you develop must include controls; seeds with no salt added,
and if distilled water is used, a control with tap water, which is considered suitable for drinking and seed
germination.
 How many seeds per treatment will be needed to see variation among seeds even if they are of the same
variety and from the same lot? Some seeds will 'fail'.
 How often will you observe your seeds? You should monitor frequently because some seeds may germinate
well, but then die. Not all will germinate at the same time.
 Groups can share salt solutions to reduce wastage of materials and time mixing them if common salt
percentages can be developed within the class.
 Each group needs to have a control. Controls are critical to any experiment. Distilled water should be
considered as some water suppliers are heavy in salt.

Potential Problems
 Over watering seeds
 Seeds that are sterile
 Erratic watering, eg. drying out over a weekend.
 Initial measurements will be small.

Possible Variations
 Groups can use a different types or varieties of seed.
 Use different salt or resultant ion: NaCl, CaCl, KCl, MgCl, MgSO4, HCO3–, MgCO3-, NO3-, NH4+, K+.
 Examine a local area to look for halophytes and their adaptations to salt

Sample data
Pea seeds – Control 0% salt, 10 germinated; 1% salt , 10 germinated; 2% salt 7 germinated; 3% salt , 2
germinated; 4% salt , 0 germinated; 5% salt , 0 germinated

Data graphing and analysis

Construct a graph on which you compare the percentage of salt concentration compared to the number of seeds
which germinated. Be sure to give your graph a title and label the axes.

Post-lab analysis & typical discussion questions

 What relationship is there between the number of seeds that germinated and the salt concentration of the
water?
 What errors might have occurred in your experiment that could have affected your data? How could they be
corrected in future experiments?
 Did your experimental data support your hypothesis?
 Are your results applicable to “real life”? Why or why not?

Extensions
 Research salinisation and salt related issues
 What salts are needed by people for good health and in what concentrations?
 What research is being done to enable plants to grow in salty water?

References/Resources
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner. The definitive history of
water resources in the American West, and a very illuminating lesson in the political economy of limited
resources anywhere.

General Links
http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/CO/COATN_91_Salinzation.pdf
http://www.montysplantfood.com/docs/salinization.htm
Fertile Crescent links
http://stutzfamily.com/mrstutz/population/pophistorymodule/history-3.htm
Road Salt links
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/roadsalt/home.html
http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/issues/scan.htm?Id=1645
http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/1997/JN1026.html