I. Glossary

Agar Gel: A gel made from seaweed extract.
Autonomously:  Ability to operate on one’s own.
Cotyledon: the first leaves of the embryo of a seed plant, which, upon germination, either remain in the seed or emerge, enlarge, and become green.
Database:  A complete collection of information on a given topic stored into one location.
Dibble: A pointed gardening implement used to make holes in soil, especially for planting bulbs or seedlings.
Embryo:  A small, simple plant contained within a seed.
Endosperm:  The part of a seed that provides nutrition to the germinating plant tissue.
Gas-permeable:  Allows gases, such as air, to pass through it.
Germination:  The process whereby seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow
Gravity: The force of pull or attraction between weighted objects.
Gravitropism:  The tendency for a plant part to grow in relation to the pull of gravity, either towards (positive) or away from (negative). Roots are positively gravitropic while stems and shoots are negatively gravitropic.
Hilum: A visible scar on a seed where the ovule was attached during maturation.
Incubator:  A temperature controlled sealed area of space.
LED Lights: Light emitting diode. (Diode: A device that allows electricity to flow in only one direction)
Near real-time: Being conducted in almost actual time with a slight delay.
Nutrient:  A substance that promotes growth.
Micro-gravity- An environment without gravity
Parameters: Measurable characteristics or features.
Phototropism:  The tendency of plants to move or grow towards light.
Phytagel:  An agar gel formulated specifically for plants.
Plumule: The primary shoot of a germinating seed.
Radicle: The first root to emerge from a seed.
Shoots: The aerial portions of a plant, including stem branches and leaves also, new immature growth on a plant.
Stems: Part of the plant shoot above ground level that gives rise to the presence of leaves which are equally separated by nodes.
Transparent:  Able to allow all light to pass through, often appearing clear and glasslike.