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The Effect Of Sodium Chloride On The Germination Rate Of Wisconsin Fast Plants Essay

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Introduction

The purpose of this experiment is to observe the effects of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) on the germination rate of Wisconsin Fast Plants.
Wisconsin Fast Plants (WFPs), or Brassica rapa, are plants in the Cruciferous family, developed through selective breeding from a strain of Himalayan weeds (Williams). WFPs have a life cycle of around forty days. This short life cycle makes WFPs valuable for laboratory study. In addition, WFPs are simple to grow, as they only need water and a light source to survive (Williams). Their simple needs, allowing ease in controlling variables, make WFPs ideal for use in experiments.
Germination is the stage of plant growth through which a seed becomes a seedling plant. First, the seed begins to absorb water and the radicle root emerges from the seed coat and into the water. Then, the primary roots grow, the cotyledons move above ground, the stem begins to grow, and leaves develop. The process is complete when the first leaves open and the cotyledons fall off (The Learning Garden 2001).
NaCl has been shown to have a negative effect on plant growth (Lee and Van Iersal 2016) and germination (Houle et al. 2001). The severity of these effects depends on the individual species’ ability to grow in saline soil (Atkins et al. 2009). WFPs are part of a group of plants called glycophytes, meaning that they have a limited ability to tolerate NaCl (Atkins et al. 2009). A study specific to WFP germination found a decrease in germination in WFPs

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