Inhibition of germination in fruits

Principle

Most plant seeds never germinate in fruit, although the flesh of fruit contains a good deal of water. We know that besides water seeds need air in order to germinate. Is fruit so badly supplied with air that the seeds cannot germinate, or is there perhaps some other reason? The students should answer this question during the experiment. One of the plant hormones, abscisic acid (ABA), inhibits seed germination in most plants. However, other inhibitors like ethylene, essential oils or unspecific osmotically active substances can play a role. Tomato and apple also contain such inhibitors, however, to a much lesser degree than orange, as the experiment shows.

Benefits

• Experiment is part of a complete solution set with a total of 44 experiments for botany, reproduction, soil, food and digestion, senses, physiology.
• With student worksheet, appropriate for all class levels.
• With detailed instructor information.
• Optimized for tight schedules, i.e. minimum preparation time required.
• Biology solution set specifically designed to include all required accessories.

Tasks

Find out whether seeds fail to germinate in fruit through the lack of air or some other reason.