How would you go about determining which conditions a seed requires?

Question

Some seeds require light for germination, some seeds require dark. How would you go about determining which conditions a seed requires?

Answer 1

You can guess from the seed morphology.  For instance, a small seed cannot have a large food reserve because of its small size.  So this seed may be light activated.  A large seed may have enough reserves to emerge from deep soil until it can reach sunlight.  This seed's germinate based on temperature fluctuations.  Its really not easy to tell.  Most seeds have been experimented upon to determine optimal germination rates under various conditions.  So, if you know where the seeds are coming from, you can look it up.  Otherwise, its hard to say.