Antibiotics Influence on Seed Germination

Research Question:

How do antibiotics affect the growth or successful germination of plants?

Introduction and Rationale:

The sole purpose of this investigation is to determine how different antibiotics affect the seed germination rate. An increase in the acidity level of antibiotics solution causes a decrease in the rate of seed germination and the number of seeds that germinate. This hypothesis will be tested by planting three types of seeds(spinach, wheat, and peas) for 14 days after they have been soaked overnight in different antibiotic solutions ( amoxicillin, penicillin, and tetracyclines). When antibiotics are applied to the seed, they disrupt the growth of the seed. This disruption in the growth process slows down the rate of germination. The seeds planted without being soaked in antibiotics tend to mature faster than those in antibiotics.

Antibiotics are essential in farming since they reduce bacterial infections in plants. For instance, tetracyclines are used in plant production and animal husbandry to modify certain traits. Recently, I was fascinated by how the seed germination rate is affected by factors such as sunlight, temperature, and the ph value of soil. Therefore, I focused my internal assessments on the effects of antibiotics on the rate of seed germination. The result of this investigation will equip me with skills on how the acidity nature of antibiotics influences the rate of seed germination.

Background information:

Antibiotics are a form of medicines that are meant to kill or slow down the growth of bacteria. Doctors usually prescribe them to treat bacterial infections, and they treat them by preventing the bacteria from multiplying(Hutchings et al.,2019). They work by destroying the formation of bacteria which ceases its multiplication. However, they cannot cure viral infections such as fever and flu. The first antibiotic to be discovered was penicillin which is still used as a bacterial antibiotic. Other examples of antibiotics include amoxicillin and tetracycline. Antibiotics have also been extended to agriculture, where they are given as feed to animals to reduce bacterial infection and stress-related illness. They are also used in plants to control the spread of bacterial diseases on plants.

On the other hand, seed germination is the vital process through which a single plant grows from a single seed. This seed germination process can be altered by factors such as the type of soil, availability of light, and temperature (Rifna et al.,2019). These factors are essential for seed germination, and their insufficient can cease the growth of seeds. Therefore, it is significant for one to check how antibiotics affect the rate of seed germination.

Hypothesis:

Hypothetically speaking, it is believed that using antibiotics on seed planting would slow the rate of seed germination and reduce the number of germinated seeds. This reduction in growth rate is because antibiotics tend to disrupt the seed’s growth structures, lowering the growth rate. It is also predicted that the relationship between the ph values of antibiotics and the seed germination rate would be inversely proportional.

Variables:

The variables of this investigation were defined as follows:

Independent variable:

The independent variable in this investigation was taken as the ph value of the different antibiotics solution (amoxicillin, tetracycline, and penicillin)that were measured using the Ph indicator. The seeds were covered for 24 hours in filter papers soaked in the antibiotics solution. Determination of the ph value was essential in quantifying the antibiotics.

Dependent variable:

The germination rate for the three types of seeds was taken as the dependent variable in this investigation. The germination rate was calculated by taking the difference between the number of seeds planted and the number of seeds germinated. The difference was later divided by the time taken for the seed to germinate to obtain the germination rate. The seeds were planted on loamy soil for 14 days.

Control variables:

• Time: All the seeds were allocated the same 14 days for germination since different durations can alter the germination rate.
• The same number of seeds: A hundred seeds were planted for the three types of seeds soaked in different antibiotics solutions. Using different numbers of seeds would have reduced the investigation’s validity.
• Temperature: All the seeds were exposed to the same temperature and sunlight since the temperature can alter the seed germination rate.
• The same type of soil: All the seeds were planted on loamy soil since planting the seed on different soil types could have altered the seed germination rate.
• The same concentration of antibiotics. All the seeds were treated with 5ml of antibiotics since different concentrations can alter the rate of seed germination.

Equipment used:

• 100 peas seeds
• 100 spinach seeds
• 100 wheat seeds
• loamy soil
• Petri dish
• Filter paper
• Amoxicillin
• Tetracycline
• Penicillins
• Notebook
• Pen
• Source of water
• Three wooden box
• Ph value indicator
• Laboratory coat
• Gloves

Experimental Setup:

Methods and procedures:

The followings are the procedures and methods deployed in carrying out this investigation:

• Assemble all the necessary materials and seeds
• Prepare nine wooden boxes that can hold planting soil with an approximation of 100cm by 40cm sides
• Place the loamy soil on the nine wooden box
• Prepare 5 ml of antibiotic solution for the three antibiotics
• Determinate the ph value of the prepared antibiotics solution using ph indicators and record the results
• Prepare nine filter paper with a diameter approximation of 13 cm
• Soak one filter paper in amoxicillin antibiotics solution for about 2 minutes
• Remove the filter paper from the antibiotic solution and place it on a petri dish
• Place the 100 seeds of spinach on the soaked filter placed on the Petri dish and cover them
• Repeat the procedure for both wheat and pea seeds
• Leave the seeds on the covered petri dish for 24 hours
• Remove the seeds and plant them on the respective wooden box filled with loamy soil
• Ensure you water the seeds until they germinate for 14 days
• Record the number of germinated seeds and tabulate the outcomes
• Dispose of all the seeds and the antibiotics after the experiment
• Determine the rate of seed germination for each seed with respective antibiotics
• Determine the average rate of seed germination

The safety of the experiment:

Ensure you handle the antibiotics well and also prepare their solution well. Additionally, ensure you put on a laboratory coat and gloves throughout the experiment to avoid the antibiotic solution contacting your skin. Dispose of all the seeds and antibiotics properly after finishing the experiments.

Data collection:

The following was the set of data collected from the experiments. The types of seeds used were spinach, wheat, and peas, while the antibiotics used were amoxicillin, tetracycline, and penicillins. The initial number of planted seeds was 100 for each type of seed. The seed was exposed to sunlight at the same temperature and allowed to germinate for 14 days, and the number of seeds that germinated successfully was determined. There were also 100 seeds planted for each type of seed without antibiotics for the control part of the experiments. The results were tabulated as follows:

Table 1:Raw data collected: Number of seeds that germinated

After the data was collected, it was imperative to determine the seed germination rate. The rate of seed germination was determined using the following formulae:

Rate of seed germination = (Total seed planted – Total seed germinated) ÷ Time

For instance, the rate of seed germination for the spinach seed soaked in tetracycline was determined as follows, and the concept utilized for the other seeds:

Rate of seed germination = (100-70) ÷ 14

Rate of seed germination = 2.1429

Table 2:Processed data collected: Rate of germination

After determining the germination rate, it was essential to determine the average seed germination rate for each antibiotic for the three types of seeds. This determination of the average seed germination rate was necessary since all the seeds were treated with the same number. The average rate of seed germination data was vital since it enabled sufficient testing of the hypothesis. The calculated average rate of seed germination was tabulated as follows, together with the ph values of the antibiotics:

Table 3:Processed data collected: Average Rate of germination

The set of data obtained in table three above was plotted on a plot using excel graphical software as shown in the figure below:

From the graph above in figure 1, it can be seen that the relationship between the ph value of the antibiotics and the rate of seed germination for the three seeds is inversely proportional. From the plot, an increase in the ph value of the antibiotics causes a decrease in the seed germination rate. This inverse relationship indicates that antibiotics slow down the rate of seed germination. This claim is also supported by the positive regression constant of 0.775, which indicates a very significant relationship between the ph value of antibiotics and the germination rate.

Therefore, from the graph analysis, it is seen that different antibiotics slow down the seed germination rate. It was also seen from the table analysis that antibiotics reduced the number of seeds that germinated since the number of seeds planted without antibiotics germinated all. Hence, antibiotics significantly affect the seed germination rate by reducing their growth.

Conclusion:

The investigation aimed to determine how different antibiotics affect the seed germination rate. It was first believed that the use of different antibiotics would slow down the rate of seed germination. This hypothesis was tested by soaking the seeds in three antibiotic solutions and planting them for 14 days. The ph value of antibiotics and the seed germination rate were determined, and data was plotted on excel graphical software. It was noted from the analysis that the application of antibiotics on seeds slowed down the rate of germination and reduced the number of germinated seeds. Therefore, the investigation’s aim and hypothesis were achieved, proving that antibiotics reduce the rate of seed germination and the successful number of germinated seeds.

Evaluation:

One of the strengths of the investigation was the use of different seeds and antibiotics, which strengthened the validity and conclusion of the experiments. The methods used in conducting the experiments were also the source of strength since they provided sufficient data for testing the hypothesis claim. On the other hand, one of the experiment’s limitations was the approximation of figures which might have reduced the accuracy of the investigation.

Extension:

One can further the investigation by checking how seed germination rate is affected by factors such as soil ph value, exposure to sunlight, and temperature. These factors are necessary for seed germination, and insufficient of them slow down the rate of germination of seeds.

References

Hutchings, M. I., Truman, A. W., & Wilkinson, B. (2019). Antibiotics: past, present, and future. Current opinion in microbiology, pp. 51, 72–80.

Rifna, E. J., Ramanan, K. R., & Mahendran, R. (2019). Emerging technology applications for improving seed germination. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 86, 95-108.