Effect of temperature on the germination and growth of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant and a popular model organism that is distributed worldwide. This experiment aimed to investigate temperature conditions for the optimal growth of Arabidopsis thaliana, as measured by germination and stem length. Their germination and growth were monitored over 19 days by counting the number of sprouts and measuring the lengths of each stem under three temperature conditions of 17°C, 25°C, and 30°C. It was observed that with increasing temperature, there was a decrease in germination and an increase in the length of each stem. For germination, the results were not significantly different at 25°C or 30°C, but were found to be significantly greater at 17°C. Additionally, the different temperatures resulted in statistically significant differences in their growth. Increasing temperature increases the growth enzyme activity, and this is a potential cause for a more rapid growth that was observed at highest temperature, 30°C. Also, Arabidopsis is a winter annual plant, which germinated the most at the lowest temperature, 17°C. We concluded that the increase in temperature decreases germination and increases growth of Arabidopsis.