Experiment #2: Observing Seed Germination Traits

You look into the spectrophotometer chamber. “So, if we just wanted to see if seeds germinated, we wouldn’t need to do this?”

Dr. Smith smiles. “Exactly. For seed germination rates, you generally observe root and shoot length or count how many seeds sprout. No absorbance reading is involved there. But with bacteria, a spectrophotometer is the tool we use to get quantitative data on how dense the culture is. This method can give you a growth curve if you plot OD versus time.”

Handing Sarah a prepared cuvette, she continues, “Let’s go ahead and give it a try. Any questions before we get started?”