The Effects of Different Salinity in Seed Germination: Rhodes Grass (Essay Sample)

The effects of different salinity in seed germination: Rhodes grass
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Table of Contents
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Abstract  PAGEREF _Toc434590842 \h
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc434590843 \h
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Hypothesis for this research project  PAGEREF _Toc434590844 \h
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Materials and methods  PAGEREF _Toc434590845 \h
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Materials  PAGEREF _Toc434590846 \h
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Methods  PAGEREF _Toc434590847 \h
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Results  PAGEREF _Toc434590848 \h
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Discussion  PAGEREF _Toc434590849 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc434590850 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc434590851 \h
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Appendix  PAGEREF _Toc434590852 \h
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Abstract
This paper takes an in depth analysis of the effect of saline water on the rate of germination of Rhodes seeds. The writing of this paper is simple such that it gives clarity into different sub topics including seed germination in which it explains the process and conditions for seed germination. Discussion of the importance of seed germination comes first, followed by the factors that affect seed germination. At this stage, the paper discusses the experimental findings through analysis and drawing conclusions. The paper takes a special focus on germination of Rhodus seed, the effect of salinity on germination with regard to phenotype and physiology on the seed. The paper then looks into a case study of the effect of salinity on Rhodus seed in United Arabs Emirates, and finally gives the appendix.
Key words: germination, salinity, moisture, PH and phenotype
Introduction
Seed germination
Seed germination is the process of development of the seed marked by the growth of primary root and other essential parts, which indicate its ability to mature into a plant. Seed germination begins when a seed in its non-dormant state is put in an environment, which has the optimum temperature and water. The seeds become hydrated this it triggers the consumption and functionalities of food supplies and enzymes. The first visible indication of germination is radical, which becomes the root (Koornneef, 2005). Germination happens in two ways, which are either hypogeal or epigeal depending on the location of the food storage.
Importance of seed and seed stage in general
Seeds are important for their various functions and one of them is for reproduction. The plants require to reproduce to avoid becoming extinct the seeds also allow the plants to be widely spread over wide areas. Reproduction makes it possible for the presence of plantations. The importance of seeds is evident due to the survival of plants, which have seeds as compared to those that use other means to reproduce (Nonogaki 2014). They are energy efficient, which makes them a source of food. The seed stage enables the species to synchronize with the seasonality to adapt to the environment. Seed dormancy allows synchronization of plant life cycle with seasonality
The factor that effect in Seed germination
Seed germination has requirements in order for the seeds to mature into a plant and these are air, water and warmth. The most required elements in the air are oxygen and carbon dioxide. They are required for respiration and inhibitory purposes respectively. The other necessary requirement is water. Water is necessary to provide the necessary environment for processes like enzyme activation and imbibitions, which is penetration through the hard coat to the hard tissues inside it. It also permits translocation by providing moisture. Wani et al. (2014), state that germination also requires the optimum temperature in order to trigger enzymes for growth. Plant germination may also require light although it may not be required all through the process. This is dependent on the type of seeds since to some it could be an inhibitor.
Seed germination in Rhodes grass
Rhodes seed germination takes place between the months of October and February or early march due to low level of sunlight therefore there is more moisture and water. In this period, there is usually steady rainfall, which is required for germination. The ground is best if there are no weeds and if the moisture is optimum. The ground is best by clearing the existing vegetation to prevent any unwanted interactions. The soil is the cultivated and use of herbicides could be appropriate. This is necessary to come up with the required quality of the soil that is soft for easy contact with the seeds. The soil type can be loam, clay or clay soil, which is not too heavy. The acidity level also needs to range from 5.5 to 7.5, but lower ph is possible with the availability of aluminum and manganese (Al Khalasi, 2010). However, the seeds have high tolerance to salt levels with conductivity exceeding 20dsm.Once having planted the seeds it is required to cover the seeds with soil not exceeding 5mm or 2centimeters. Another method for sowing the Rhodes seed is broadcasting method. When using this method it is best to use sawdust or fertilizer along with it. Rhodes seed germinates at an optimum rainfall ranging from 700 -1200 mm, supported by irrigation. However, Rhodes seed does not germinate well if rainfall is too high but it can grow in relatively lower amounts of rainfall.
Effect of salinity in Rhodes seed in phenotype and physiology
Rhodes seed, also known as Chloris gayana seeds has some resistance to the salinity levels in the environment, but the salt levels do affect the rate of growth of the seeds. Due to the different nature of soils, it is critical for farmers to analyze the soil salt levels to avoid restricting seed germination (Nonogaki, 2014). The ability of the seed to germinate in saline conditions is important for traits of the next seedlings to be produced .tolerance to salinity comes as a result of the seed being able to accumulate potassium and exclude sodium in the soil environment. High salinity levels lower the rate of growth of the seedlings and when it is too high, there is no growth at all. This is due to decreased osmotic levels, which become more negative. Therefore reduces the rate of imbibition hence germination rate reduces due to the low amounts of water available. In high Salinity levels, the Rhodes seed reduces level of growth and do not become succulent.
Study that they do in Rhodes seed and effect of salinity in UAE
Rhodes seed does not perform well in the dry condition, but rather they blossom well in areas with regular rainfall. This type of grass also consumes a lot of water and due to high demand in UAE it consumes too much from irrigation. The grass is however not very tolerant to very high salinity levels. This is a challenge due to the high salinity levels in areas in the western region. The government of the region organized making of demonstration farms where these seeds can grow to identify weaknesses and strengths on different salinity environments. The research benefits the farmers to identify the type of crops that can do best on their farms depending on the salinity levels (MalLoch & Zorin, n.d).
Hypothesis for this research project
A number of factors affect the germination of seeds. One of such factors is the salinity of soil in which a seed germinates on as it affects the ability of the seed to absorb or lose water from or in its surrounding. This research hypothesizes that different levels of salinity have a direct effect on the germination of Rhodes grass. The paper also hypothesizes that the higher the salinity of the soil the lower the rate of Rhodes seed germination and vice versa.
Materials and methods
Materials
30 petri dishes lined with filter paper.
450 Rhodes seed
Sea water
Fresh water
Methods
Group of petri-dishes were prepared in order to run the experiment on Rhodes seed, each group consisted of 30 petri-dishes lined with filter paper having 15 seeds per dish. Each group was divided into five subgroups of different salinities as shown in the below figure (1).  The groups were; 0% of seawater control, 10% of seawater, 20% of seawater, 50% of seawater, 80% of seawater and 100% of seawater. The dishes were placed in a drawer, which was dark and had a constant room temperature. Every day the dishes were monitored in order to measure the germination period and record the readings.
Results




Figure 1: Results for % germination in day 1 Figure 2: Results for % germination in day



Figure 3: Results for % germination in day 3 Figure 4: Results for % germination in day 4



Figure 5: Results for % germination in day Figure 6: Results for % germination in day
DaysStandard DeviationPercentage GerminationDay one00Day two1.06051518.5Day three 1.06051542Day four0.80860449.1Day five0.67628450.5
Experiments done on the rate of germination of Rhodes seeds has shown that higher concentration of salinity in the soil negatively affects the rate of germination of the seeds (Nonogaki, 2014). The seawater provided the saline environment for the experiment since seawater contains salt assumed 100%. The concentration of salty measured by taking different ratios for seawater to fresh water in order to achieve the desired ratio content.
There were 450 Rhodes seeds distributed equally in 30 petri dishes in which the experiments were done. Each petri dish contained 15 Rhodes sees and varying amounts of saline water. However, the control petri dish did not contain any saline water in order to compare the eff...