Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Seed Germination of Wisconsin Fast Growing Plants (Brassica rapa)

• Abigail Betar

  Juniata College

  Author

• Iqra Rana

  Juniata College

  Author

Hydrogen peroxide is a common pesticide used in agriculture in the United States. However, there are concerns about the ecological effects of hydrogen peroxide on seed germination and growth. Previous research found that hydrogen peroxide prevents oxidative stress which plays a significant role in plant development (Wojtyla et al. 2016). Another article found that hydrogen peroxide behaves as a signaling molecule that mediates biochemical pathways (Nurnaeimah et al. 2020). We used this research to inform our experiment in determining the detrimental hydrogen peroxide concentration on seed germination. In this study, we conducted an experiment to observe the germination of Wisconsin Fast Growing seeds exposed to three different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide: 5 mL, 15 mL, and 30 mL. We conducted an analysis of variance test on our results. We found that at 30 mL, seed germination and growth were significantly inhibited. This suggests that high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide are harmful to seed germination and growth.

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