Fig. 1

Effects of sound on the germination rate of maize seeds. 20 seeds were placed in water during 8 h and then subjected to white noise sound with 80 dB at 22 °C for 10 h in the dark, and were left germinate in silence at 22 °C in the dark. Germination percentages were measured every 12 h for 7 days. Radicle protusion was taken as the criterion for germination. The results shown represent the mean of 10 independent experiments each containing 20 seeds. For clarity, SD is only shown for the 7 days data. The solid line represents the control values and the striking line represents the values for the sound treated seeds. Vertical bars indicate standard error. Asterisks indicate significant differences respect to the control (untreated seeds) according to the T test (p < 0.05)