Seed germination experiment

[Richard L. Boyce]

I've been asked by a colleague for ideas for a seed germination experiment
for middle-school students (7th through 10th grades).  He would like to
demonstrate that different species have different pH preferences for
germination.  So some seeds would germinate best in acid conditions, while
others would germinate best in alkaline pHs.  Ideally, the seeds would be
readily available and would germinate fast; the latter condition is very
important.  The seeds should also not require a great deal of preparation,
like stratification, etc.  I was stumped--anyone out there on the web have
any ideas?

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 Richard L. Boyce
 Department of Biological Sciences
 University of Denver
 Denver, CO 80208 USA
 303-871-3538
 303-871-3471 (fax)
 rboyce at du.edu
 http://www.du.edu/~jfoglema/boyce.html
 http://www.du.edu/~rboyce/ppe.html
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