What it shows
Saving seeds of local vegetables, pulses and flowers keeps variety alive. A record card for each seed packet teaches how farmers collect, dry, label, store and test seeds.
The science
A seed is a dormant plant with a food store. Dry, cool and dark storage slows its breathing and keeps it alive for months or years. Testing a sample before sowing shows what percentage will sprout, so a farmer knows how much to sow.
Materials
Cost: under Rs 50. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- Seeds of at least eight local plants (from kitchen or garden)
- Small paper envelopes or glass jars
- Silica gel or dry rice to keep seeds dry
- Labels and a marker
- A shoebox or tin as the bank
- Cotton wool and a plate for germination tests
Safety
For this project: Wash hands after handling seeds, especially treated or sprayed ones. Only collect seeds from untreated plants. Do not taste seeds, and keep the bank away from children and pets.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Collect ripe seeds from vegetables, pulses or flowers and clean off the pulp or husk.
Dry them in a shady airy place for several days until they snap or rattle.
Put each kind in its own envelope and write the name, date and place on it.
Make a record card with plant name, parent plant size, flower colour and growing season.
Place the envelopes in a tin with a packet of dry rice or silica gel.
Test ten seeds of each kind on damp cotton and count how many sprout in a week.
Calculate the germination percentage and write it on the card.
Display the bank and share spare seeds with classmates.
What you should see
The finished seed bank has labelled packets and cards with germination percentages that show which seeds store well.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1Why keep seeds dry?
Moisture makes seeds sprout early, rot or grow mould.
2Why save local varieties?
They are adapted to local climate and add diversity.
3How is germination percent found?
Number sprouted divided by number sown, times 100.
4Why label the date?
Seeds lose viability with age.
Take it further
Retest the same seeds after three months to see how storage changes germination.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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