How does pH affect germination?
This is a very reasonable topic to chose for an A level investigation. • You know that germination involves many enzyme controlled reactions • You know the effect of pH on enzymes • You will have to decide on a suitable pH range • You will probably wish to use pH buffers and will need to find a suitable series to use • You will probably germinate the seeds on filter paper in petri dishes so that there is no soil involved (pH affects the availability of nutrients in soil and therefore affects plant growth – this is a quite separate question) • You will need to consider all the other variables which could be involved and do all you can to control them eg temperature, O2 concentration, light • You will probably wish to do a trial investigation with a plant which you can get plenty of seeds of (eg cress). Experience with this will enable you to plan your main investigation. • Do not worry if you do not get exactly the results you predict. Make sure you collect NUMERICAL data – count seeds,
