Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,
My 1st grader is doing a science fair project. She is germinating lima bean seed in different liquids: tap water, Coke, pineapple juice, and chocolate milk. The Coke is the only one that has germinated so far. Can you help us with the WHY? ie, why the others have not germinated (we are at the 10th day). Is there something special about Coke?

Thank you in advance, her science fair is April 22nd,

CO Mom

Hi,

I'm not a plant expert, but my guess would be that the acidity in the Coke broke down the outside layer of the bean so it was easier for the leaves to get out of the seed. Alternatively, there may be some chemical in the coke that mimicked a plant hormone and made it grow faster--but that seems unlikely.

Hi,
That is a very odd result. Seeds primarily need water to germinate, and Coke does not seem to have that advantage over the other liquids that you used. Could you tell us more about the conditions that each seed was in? In addition, this wiki article describes the basic requirements for germination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germinatio ... ermination
Hope this helps!

I am not an expert on this either, but I think that the sugars present in the Coke could have help the seed to germinate earlier. I know that you were also testing chocolate milk and the seed didn't grow there; maybe the amount of sugars there was not as high as in the Coke.
I hope that this helps.
Carmen