Question

What do you observe in the experiment of dropping a fist of bengal gram seeds in the water? Do you know why the spoilt seeds are lighter in weight ?

Answer 1

Hint: Bengal gram also known as chickpeas or chana has a good amount of different nutritional content. It contains iron, sodium and small amounts of copper and zinc.

Complete answer:
Bengal gram is grown from medium to heavy black soils. when Bengal gram seeds are soaked overnight in water. It swells and absorbs water from surrounding by imbibition and endosmosis. They become tender. After some days of soaking, the seeds germinate and the radicle sprouts from the seed. soil moisture, temperature and light affect the germination. The germinated sprouts are eaten as a snack by adding black pepper. It boosts the immune system.

Some seeds are eaten by insects and rodents. They are then damaged and called spoilt seeds. These seeds are light in weight because the pests create holes in them and it becomes damaged. The storage of these grains should be done properly to prevent the damage by pests.
Spoilt seeds may indicate poor development and lower productivity.

Note:Imbibition is a type of diffusion in which the solids take up the water and swells. For example: seeds and dry wood. When a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, the water moves inside the cell and it swells. It happens because the solute concentration of the surrounding solution is less than inside of cytoplasm. This phenomenon is called endosmosis