Planting Science - Projects: camsdaviswosfall2020 project 8
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camsdaviswosfall2020 project 8

Project by group camsdaviswosfall2020

Explore What we know: Plants are capable of a process called photosynthesis, in which the plants make their own food. Plants also do not absorb green light which is why they are mostly green, because they reflect that light. Sunflowers face and follow the light. What we learned (from research): Exposing seeds to smoke can stimulate the germination of plants (fire dependent + fire independent) due to the compound that is found within smoke (that came from plants/cellulose) that promotes germination. Flematti, G., Ghisalberti, E., Dixon, K., & Trengove, R. (2004, August 13). A Compound from Smoke That Promotes Seed Germination. Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://science.sciencemag.org/content/305/5686/977.abstract Paul, M., & Van Dijck, P. (2011, December 5). How do sugars regulate plant growth? Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355570/ Alattar, E. M. (2018). EFFECT OF MICROWAVE TREATED WATER ON THE GROWTH OF CORN (ZEA MAYS) AND PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM) SEEDLINGS. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.rjb.ro/wp-content/uploads/Elwasife_4_F.pdf What do we want to know?: Does absorption of salt by plants actually make the plants bitter? Does sugar water influence the rate in which the plant grows? Can smoke actually make the seed germinate?
Research Question Our question: Will exposing seeds to plant/cellulose-induced smoke stimulate germination? Backup question: Will providing sugar water to seeds affect the speed in which the seeds germinate and develop?
Predictions Predictions: We predict that the smoke alone will not be able to germinate the seeds. But with the addition of some growth-inducing variables, we predict that exposing seeds to the smoke will allow the seeds to start the germination process faster than the seeds not exposed. We think that there won't be much of a noticeable difference within the germination with the use of smoke between different types of seeds because based on our previous research, both fire-independent and fire-dependent seeds worked, and so we predict that this won't matter within our experiment.
Experimental Design Experimental Design: Since our method measures are mainly about stimulating germination, we will be comparing the germination process of each plant by seeds not exposed to the smoke and seeds exposed to the smoke. We want to know if smoke alone will be able to speed up the germination process. Here are some of our plans for the experiment: 1. Using 3 same types of seeds that have roughly the same amount of sunlight and water needed to stimulate germination for both the control group and a measuring group. We will be having a duplicate group of the mentioned control + measuring group, with the only different factor being the addition of a soaking period for the seeds. Alfalfa Buckwheat Peas 2. The seeds in the control group will be distributed an equal amount of water and sunlight for a specified time. The seeds in the measuring group will be distributed with the same equal amount of water and sunlight for a specified time and will be exposed to plant-induced smoke for a specified time. By keeping all the variables the same besides the exposure to smoke, we should be able to determine the effect of the smoke. The duplicate group (control group 2 + measuring group 2) will have a certain period of time in which all the seeds would be soaked for the purpose of stimulating earlier germination to compare observations and rates. 3. The plant-induced smoke will come from a contraption made to funnel the smoke without the addition of heat to the plants of the measuring group. The smoke is plant-induced because we will be using wood pellets. 4. We will try to keep all other influential factors out by distributing the water, sunlight, and smoke at roughly the same time of the day for all days of the experiment. 5. To keep track of growth, the plants of each group will be observed. We are planning to measure the growth with qualitative observations and comparing the progress of the seeds to the phases of the standard process of seed germination. 6. We are not sure of the span of days in which the experiment will continue, because we have not received a foundational outline of how long we will be doing our experiments.
Investigation Theme WOS
Grade Level High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12)
School Name California Academy of Mathematics and Science
Session Fall 2020

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NSF_Logo.jpg This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #2010556 and #1502892. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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