Sprouts in study (IMAGE) Penn State Caption In the study, seeds were kept in the dark until they germinated. A sprout is the first stage in a plant's life cycle after the seed germinates. When the baby plant grows beyond its first shoot and root, it transitions to the microgreen stage. Credit Penn State Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC-ND Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.