Interspecific Competition with Basil Seeds and Mature Mint Plant

• Anjali Mistry

  Juniata College

  Author

A plant’s growth highly depends on the quality and quantity of resources it is provided with. The soil that a plant is grown in provides many of these resources, but can be limited when competing for those resources with other plant species. This experiment aims to investigate whether interspecific competition between mature mentha x suavis and ocimum bacilicum affects the timing of germination of ocimum bacilicum seeds. Basil seeds were placed alone in the center of 5 pots, and another 5 pots contained basil seeds alongside a mature mint plant. The number of new sprouts emerging per day were recorded. Results show that overall, basil sprouts emerged earlier when potted alone than when potted with mint, confirming our hypothesis that interspecific competition plays a role in seeds’ ability to germinate.

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