Mathematical function applied in the cumulative germination studies

The following report analyses some aspects of the adaptation of mathematical functions to experimental data in the study of cumulated germination. First, some general considerations on the duration and frequency of the observations required during such a study are presented. Then, a simple technique which can give useful information on optimal trial size is presented. The paper continues by introducing twelve functions which can be applied to cumulated germination studies and discusses their main characteristics, related advantages and possible limitations. The eight functions having three parameters or more were then applied to some series of experimental data. In conclusion, a synthesis of the results obtained from these applications is given.