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Using an Experimental Technique Essay Another chemical commonly used is ethanol in the aseptic technique and this too was varied in the amount of time the seeds were soaked before being placed in varying times and concentrations of the sodium hypochlorite. Ultimately, in order to use the barley seeds we need have a sterilization technique that can eliminate majority of fungal contamination while not harming the germination of the chosen seeds. I propose an experimental idea to eliminate fungal contamination from barley seed germination. Materials and Methods Aseptic Technique The working area was sprayed down completely with 95% Ethanol before the seeds were used. The forceps used to transfer the seeds from liquid to media were sterilized using the ethanol. Seed Sterilization Procedure Using aseptic techniques 20 barley seeds obtained from the paper bag kept in the fridge were transferred into sterile distilled water and let to sit in a drawer for 20 hours overnight before being transferred to 100% bleach with a drop of dish liquid (Inatomi and Slaughter, 1971). The seeds were soaked in the bleach for a total of 2 hours before being dipped in sterile distilled water and placed on Petri dishes with minimal media and placed in a growth chamber. The germination of the seeds was monitored for 7 days for any fungal contamination. Results After 3 days the seeds were germinating (13 out of 20) and there was no visible evidence of fungal growth. 5 Days: there were no contaminants. 7 Days: no contaminants. || 3 Days seed growth. No contaminants. |3 Days seed growth. No contaminants. | || 5 Days seed growth. No contaminants. |5 Days seed growth. No contaminants. | Discussion Fungal contaminations can be a problem when trying to germinate seeds and a successful experiment is needed to sterilize the barley seeds for further experimentation. I proposed a sterilization experiment for barley seeds and had success with 65% germination and 0% fungal growth. This sterilization technique could provide a good beginning point to begin other experimentation on germination success of barley seeds, without the hassle of fungal contamination to destroy possible results. The overnight soak in the water forced the fungal spores to begin germinating and thereby making it possible for the 2 hour bleach soak to become more effective in eliminating the fungus and other contaminants from the seed coat. The few seeds which did not germinate could have had too much bleach penetration and therefore killed these seeds, however the success was more beneficial than the failure, and so this novel sterilization technique was effective in its elimination of fungal contaminations while providing a good germination rate of the barley seeds. Literature Cited K. Inatomi and J. C. Slaughter. 1971. The Role of Glutamate Decarboxylase and Aminobutyric Acid in Germinating Barley. J. Exp. Bot. 22:561-571.