Solanum Lab Report

Measuring dormancy rate of Solanum torvum seeds using Pre-soaking treatment versus Control.

Introduction:

In their paper “Seed Germination Enhancement in Solanum stramonifolium and Solanum torvum,” Nur Eva Hayati, Sutevee Sukprakarn, and Sunanta Juntakool (2005) asserts that dormancy of the Solanum family prohibits the commercial viability of the seed. The authors surmised that the seed dormancy, which a block to germination of the seeds, could be broken to enable a shorter germination period. They utilized different storage periods, soaking times and chemical washes to test and support this hypothesis. The paper concluded that the treatments which removed inhibitors from the seed coat were a viable solution to the decrease in germination time of the Solanum family. (Hayati et al., 2005) This experiment attempts to answer the question which is, does pre-soaking break dormancy faster than planting seeds without

Before planting, each group secured sixteen (16) seeds in a coffee filter, labeled the filter with the designated group number and allowed the seeds to soak in warm water for one (1) hour. During the wait time, a flat of thirty-two containers was filled to the top with soil. The soil was saturated with tap water and a quarter (1/4) inch of water was also put in the reservoir in the bottom of the flat. A stake was labeled with the correct group number and inserted in one of the containers at an angle to allow for the top to be secured. Each container had one (1) Solanum torvum seed planted at a depth of three (3) times the size of the seed. Sixteen (16) of the containers held pre-soaked seeds and a control group of sixteen. The number of seeds that germinated was counted at seven days and again at twelve days and that number was recorded in excel sheet. The spreadsheet includes columns for each group number along with the amount and percentages of Control and Pre-Soaked