Info
| Explore | A plant's major necessity are: water, sunlight, and nutrients from the ground. All plants have their own preference in Hp in the soil, amount of water, and types of growing soils. Many plants can release chemicals for self protection and attracting pollination. Plants and seeds all have specific... |
|---|---|
| Research Question | Radish are regarded as a very robust and lasting species of plant. They are known to grow in very averse conditions in a variety of environments with much success. This prompts one to look and wonder "Why?" Why are radish so robust? What do they contain that allows them to be so tough, and is... |
| Predictions | There is a chemical that causes bitterness in the radish. We predicted that the excess chemicals from the body will be most effectual in effecting positive growth rate. Because plants release chemicals in some situations, we also concluded that the radish body perhaps would release even more... |
| Experimental Design | Our plan is to have six bags and 36 seeds. Three seeds per bag and we will be having a box. The bags will be inside a box held up with rulers, and the contro; bag only has the seeds and water. There will be three control bags. There will also be 3 leaf experiment bags labeled 1, 2, and 3 same... |
| Conclusion | From the numerical data, there was a significant detriment on the growth in length of both root and hypocotyl of radish seeds when using parts of previous generations of radish in the soil. While there would be no major loss from the leaves, and only nominal loss from the roots, there would be a... |
| About this Project |
Updates
A sincere thank you to our mentors Clare and Brett for helping us out, I will be posting a photo soon of my team's poster for our experiment. As for our written analysis and graphs, they have been posted in the files.
We're going to update the graph in a pdf this time because there were difficulties with excel. We've also fixed our graphs.
Oh, it's my mistake, I didn't see that there were only 2 replicates for root, so my average calculations were wrong. Sorry about that.
By the way I've look at all the files you have posted and I don't see any graphs. I just see data tables.
I looked at your excel sheet and I didn't see a graph. I did notice that some of the averages don't seem quite right. I calculated my own averages and they differed from the data that you have in your table of Averaged consolidated information. Particularly the root data.
If you could post a copy of the excel sheet with some form of commentary about where the discrepancies lie, it would be helpful for us to fix them. We've been pouring over the numbers and we aren't quite sure what it is that you are finding that we cannot see. Thank you
If you could post a copy of the excel sheet with some form of commentary about where the discrepancies lie, it would be helpful for us to fix them. We've been pouring over the numbers and we aren't quite sure what it is that you are finding that we cannot see. Thank you
The graph is in the Excel spreadsheet entitled "Radish Project Info."
If you guys have any requests for how the information be structured or anything you'd prefer to see in the data itself, please leave either a response to this post or a new comment entirely. Thank you.
How is it going? Do you have any more data to add to your excel file? Are you going to analyse the data in any way to help you to draw conclusions?
It's been going fairly well, thank you for asking. we've been mulling over the data for the past couple of days and they ought to all appear before the end of the day. Hopefully, the structure is easy to follow after we get everything in proper order.
Thanks for sharing your photos and I see from the excel file that you are already gathering lots of data. This is great! Do you see any significant differences between the different treatments yet?
Cindy, As I try to understand the data I need to know what units you are using for your measurements. Can you clarify for me to make sure I am understanding correctly - do you have 3 bags (3 replicates) for each treatment and inside each bag you have 3 seeds (sub replicates)?
I see that you have each come up with a hypothesis, make sure you keep those in mind as you assess the plants so that you can relate what you see to the original hypotheses.
Andrew, you mentioned that you have a tight schedule, can you tell me what your time line is a when your deadlines are?
Terribly sorry for leaving out measurements. We are measuring all the radishes in centimeter. We do have three bags for each treatment. The purpose of three bags is to help keep the experiment consistent; Instead of redoing the experiment, we're doing the experiment three times at once to make sure that this is an empirical procedure.
I see that makes sense. I'm glad that you have replicated the treatments in this way. It's important to replicate so that you can see if you get consistent results across all replicates otherwise you would not be able to tell whether the differences that you see are due to random chance (experimental error) or really due to the treatments that you have applied.
In series two and three, it seems that the growth on average of the leaf treatments are growing taller than the other treatments, where in series one, the control is doing best. As we see the zeroes on the spreadsheet, it's not because there was no germination but because the seeds have fallen out of place, disqualifying it from measurement. There was actually only one seed that didn't grow. In series two, seed two is still in place but did not germinate. 35/36 seeds germinated, but many have fallen. All the water in each bag have a tint of yellow, possibly from the young sprouts that fell into the water.
I do not miss academia, I enjoy the freedom I have in industry and the fact that the results of my research are acted upon almost immediately rather than following a lengthy publication process. I used to work in government agencies and industry is much different. I see pro's and con's to both.
Boiled Radish and Other Such Fun is supposed to be the experimental design, sorry for the bizarre naming. It was the only way to make it stick out among my files.
Team,
It's nice to see revisions happening with your experimental design. I do have a few suggestions and comments:
- I am not following your design with the holes in the paper. How will the seeds be contained within these holes? You can always sketch something quickly and upload it to the "Upload and share files" option on the right if that will help describe your experiment.
- What will you be measuring to track "radish growth?" Will you be measuring germination rates, the length of the radicle or epicotyl?
- Why are you including fertilizer with all of your treatments and controls? The addition of fertilizer may hinder germination rates because of an increase in microbial growth that results from increased nitrogen. It seems like the addition of fertilizer to germinating seeds could be an experiment on its own.
- What is your reasoning behind including different plant parts or extracts in your experimental treatments? Why do you think these treatments will have an effect on germination or growth? As you all progress in your scientific expertise, keep in mind the "why" behind your experimental designs. For example, I wouldn't want to investigate the effects of milk on plant growth just because I have milk and plants available. Instead, I may be interested in the effects of minerals (like calcium) on plant growth, and therefore, decide to use milk as a source of calcium. Also, what information is available on the effects of calcium on plant growth and why would plants need it as a mineral? It is these unknowns that should excite scientists like yourselves.
Be sure to update us if you make any changes to your experimental design. Keep up the good work and keep in touch!
-Brett
The purpose of the holes in the paper are to hold the radish seeds in when they're hung up vertically.
For measuring the radish, we will be measuring the height of the radicle and epicotyl separately in centimeters.
There is no particular reason for the fertilizer. It was just an idea at the time.
In regards to why we are using parts from another radish, one of our teammates (Addie) described the taste of radishes as "a sort of sour," which prompted the question "Why is it sour?" which tangentially led to "Wonder what would happen if we used that chemical in growing other radishes?" Andrew posited that maybe it could have a positive effect on the growth, otherwise it wouldn't have much benefit proliferating within the adult radish. From there, we were curious if that chemical was within the leaves and roots of a radish as well.
In conclusion, the holes are to keep the seeds in place as it hangs vertically inside of a ziploc bag. As it grows, we will be measuring the radicles and epicotyl separately in centimeters. The purpose of using radish parts is because we're trying to figure if the radish chemical effective in growth and where it is in a radish.
We forgot to mention how they stay up. The page will be wet around the punctures for the seeds. They should stay up thanks to cohesion between the cellulose, the seed coat, and the water. It was fairly effective at holding up seeds in an earlier class experiment involving "Chicago Fast Plants" as they were labeled. It ought to be enough to hold the seeds up without the use of an adhesive. Sorry for the general vagueness of our outline. We are, as I'm sure you are aware, working with a somewhat strict deadline and that is leaving us a little "flighty" in our writings.
Hello Team and Clare,
It is nice to see you honing your experimental design to a couple of variables. The next steps are to be more specific about how much sand and rock you will add to your soil treatments. Also, make sure you clarify the relative abundance of sand, silt, and clay in your initial control soil that you are starting with. This will help you proceed with treatments that mimic realistic conditions that plants may encounter in nature. It may be difficult to determine how much of each component is in your starting mix if it's not explicitly stated on the soil packaging, but here's a link to get you thinking about about probable soil compositions.
Also, if we decide to go with Raphanus seeds, do we know what soil types they prefer? In what types of habitats are wild Raphanus plants found? I realize we will be working with domesticated lines of plants, but knowing environmental preferences for wild conspecifics will again help us establish more realistic conditions.
One last thing: can you connect your experimental design to a current problem that is facing plants? Keeping an eye out for potential broader impacts of your work will make your experiment much more powerful. Is increased sand or rock a problem for some populations of plants on our planet?
Clare, it's great having you in our group! Where in Oregon did you used to live?
Kind regards,
Brett
Hi Brett, I was in Corvallis for 5 years (OSU) and Salem for 2 years (ODA). What are you doing at PSU? Clare
Hey Clare, I'm working on my dissertation in fungal endophyte communities in ferns. How do you like working in industry? Do you ever miss academia?
-Brett
Hi Brett & Clare,
My team and our teacher have come to agree that our final plan was indeed too broad, therefore we have changed up the plan.
This new experiment we've all agreed on includes: 12 ziploc bags, 36 radish seeds, water, paper, fertilizer (likely 20-30-20, possibly 21-0-0), radish roots, radish leaves, & chopped radish pieces. We begin with wet paper (used for watering). On the paper will be three evenly separated holes which will hold three radish seeds (including fertilizer). Each ziploc gets a wet sheet with three seeds. Our control will be the bag with just water & fertilizer itself. The other bags will consist of an added variable to test its effectiveness in the radish seed growths. For example, one ziploc will have a chopped piece of radish to test the effect the chemicals from the radish body will have in growth. Another bag will have an extract liquid made from the process of boiling radish leaves. Another bag will have another extract liquid made from the process of boiling radish roots. Other bags will also use liquid extracts from other plants, such as boiled alfalfa leaves and boiled peas or pods. The purpose of all these change in variables is to figure which of these factors are most effective in the radish growth.
Team is no longer including alfalfa and additional species variables. We're sticking with 12 bags and 36 radishes (which is same). One bag will be with just water and fertilizer, one bag has chopped radish piece, one bag has liquid from roots, and one has liquid from leaves. The additional ziploc bags will be a repeat of the same exact experiment to keep consistency.
I like pikmin
For a small experiment with a limited number of seeds it will be best to focus on just one or two variables. Even though you are interested in many factors if you want to narrow down the answer about whether one variable really does impact the results or not you need to choose one variable and control for all the other possible variables as best as possible. Futhermore, in order to have confidence in the results, that they are really the result of the experimental variable and not just random chance then you need to have more than one seed treated with each treatment. We call this replication.
oh, and another thought, if you plan on measuring the flavor of the radish, are you sure that you will be able to continue to grow the radish until they are ready to eat? If your project is only going to last this term then you might not have fully grown radishes so you might want to think of other measures of plant growth as a back up.
Yes, this is an interesting theory, you are correct that crop rotation is used for pathogen control. In particular there are certain Brassica species which have fungicidal or insecticidal chemicals which when used in crop rotation can help control diseases. Where will you get your used soil from and what was it used for before?
Hello again from Andrew.
I failed to make a post yesterday, so I must hash-out some housekeeping before the subject of the message itself. In my original post, when I mentioned "oil content" it was a typo. I meant to type "soil content" and failed to notice the mistake.
To the message at hand. We, as a group, decided to go with my own idea involving adjusting soil concentrations of rocks and sand to different pots of radishes (One per) and measuring growth rate.
Again, any additional modifiers are welcome beyond stones and sand (alas, oils would be an unlikely addition considering the mess). I look forward to response.
Pikmins are real (Anonymous).
Yes Pikmins are real.
yes pikmins are real. true very true.
hello! This is Addie from service high school thank you for volunteering to be in our group! Group 5 and our mentor. My experiment is on the radish seed and what I choose to do was have 4 seeds in one pot I was going to have 1 inch between the seeds and add 1 inch pieces of banana and orange also I was thinking of adding a little less then a tea spoon of yogurt specifically peach. If we are able to use a bigger pot I was going to have 2 big pots and add some leafs inside the soil. I was also hoping to put both pots with 5 seeds each under a good amount of sunlight but with plenty of moisture but also since radishes like more cold weather I was thinking of adding 3 pieces of ice every once a week. 5 seeds in both pots. Thank you!
Hi Addie,
This is a nice start. I am wondering what you think is present in each of these foods that might affect plant growth? Specifically, what in the orange or yogurt might alter a plant's growth?
Talk to you soon!
Thank you so much for responding! Also I know quite a few different things about yogurt and I remembered that yogurt has bacteria. I was thinking that the bacteria would interact with the radish seed. With the banana and the orange I was thinking for the nitrogen and just compost also there are some sugars in the yogurt and the orange. Also they have natural sugars so it may increase growth rate.
Hello Addie,
I'm interested in your theory about bacteria. There certainly a lot of bacteria in soils and some are beneficial and some are less helpful to plants and can cause disease (we call these pathogens). Usually we think of the bacteria in yoghurt as being beneficial to humans, but it would be interesting to investigate whether or not these bacteria would be beneficial to plants too.
As for the other fruit additives to the soils, I wonder if you might be attempting to test too many variables. Try to keep your experimental design simple, with only 1 or 2 variables and a control.
Oh sweet! Thank you! I'm still interested in how the yogurt would work and about the other variables. What would you say would be the best for the experiment! I was hoping to use the ice for the moisture still and I hope it will work great with the radish and I want to test the bacteria with all the different variables I have and thank you any input would be great!
Hello! I'm Cindy from Robert Service High School. Thanks for volunteering to be group 5's mentor.
Our team decided to focus our experiments on the radish (Raphanus Sativus). The idea I came up with begins with a total of eight radish seeds and two pots, one for brand new unused soils and one for the soils used by past plants. The main purpose of this experiment is to confirm which soil is more beneficial to the radish plant in taste and health. To keep the radish roots healthy, the radishes will be planted in groups of fours. As mentioned before, one pot will be filled with new unused soil while the other is filled with used soil. Both pots will be filled up with dirt six inches high. The seeds will be buried half an inch deep and covered loosely. Both the pots will receive the same amount of light (assumably) and the same amount of water (200mL; add or reduce amount of water at an equal rate if the soils are too dry or too wet). Water the radishes every other day. Observe and collect data on the radish growths, growth rate, leaf foliages, changes in color, and etc.... Presumably after thirty days, to test if the soils affected taste, the team can taste a raw radish from both pots and decide which one tasted better. Regarding to which soil was healthier for the radishes, we can conclude from looking at the results and the collected data from the experiment.
Hey Cindy,
This all sounds great. I do have a question about what you think would be different between used soil and unused soil, specifically. Also, a healthy radish plant might not taste the best to a human. If your goal is to determine soil conditions that result in the best tasting radish, then that is one experiment. Trying to determine soil conditions that result in the best growth (or color or change in mass) is another type of experiment. Remember that plants would like to avoid being eaten (except if they rely upon animals to disperse their fruit), so the "healthiest" ones may not taste the best to you or I. All of the plant compounds that humans enjoy (caffeine, capsaicin from peppers, theobromine from cacao) are all derived from plant defense compounds that we happen to have developed a particular fondness of and breed plants with more of these desired chemicals.
Hope this helps and keep up the great work!
I'm pleased to hear you are working with Radish as I just planted some radish seeds in my garden about 3 weeks ago! They have already germinated and some are getting their first pair of true leaves now. Have you planted your seeds yet?
I agree with Brett, you will need to determine more specifically how you will measure the health of the plant or the 'tastiness' of the radishes. We can call these measures 'response variables' as they are things which may vary based upon the different treatments that you are applying to the seeds (the "experimental variable").
Thanks for your responses. I decided to grow the radishes in new soil and used soil because I've heard that some plants grow better in the beds that were previously used for another plant. I can see that my experiment idea is a little broad on how to measure healthiness and tastiness; therefore I decided to just do the experiment on tastiness. I will stick with the idea of using new and used soil though as I am curious if there will be a difference in taste or not.
The purpose of using the used soil is somewhat similar to crop rotation. Crop rotation can help avoid soil borne diseases and pest problems.
Hey, Andrew again.
The prospect of trying lipid-infused soils is certainly outside of what i had considered. I'm not certain as to the affect of lipid structures on any sort of plant, since I've never considered if plants are equipped with the proper cellular hardware to break down lipids. I'd imagine that the root systems would end up coated in the lipids and become less effective for the acquisition of nutrient resources as well as its ability to pull up water from the soil. Plants shouldn't secrete the necessary enzymes to break down the lipids, at least I'd assume so. As to the amount of natural lipids in soil, I imagine there are at least trace amounts, although in the wild the average would likely by higher the closer you get to wild populations of animals. The lipids may exhibit greater bacterial colonization within the soils, which could affect the soil composition and whether or not that would be beneficial to the plants would remain to be seen.
I'll definitely consider adding it to my roster of soil modifiers.
(Also, I tend to write in a more "stream of thought" style, so I am expecting inaccuracies and whatnot which I apologize for).
Hi Andrew,
I don't think Brett was suggesting that you test lipid infused soils, rather I think that he was responding to the sentence your wrote stating "My experimental design focuses on the growing conditions, specifically the oil content".
Your theory about the impact of fats in soil on the bacterial populations in the soil and how those bacteria might affect plants is a good one. Have you discussed this with Addie? She also mentioned bacteria in her ideas. Perhaps you can work together to come up with a single hypothesis to test together?
As a team do you have enough supplies to set up one experiment per person or per team?
Hello. My name is Andrew, and I am looking forward to this project. My fellow classmates and I are thankful for you being our group's mentor.
Since we all have our own ideas, I'd like to post the idea that I had. My idea was, following the line of thought that radishes are fairly robust plants, I was curious as to what the limits to their growth could be. My experimental design focuses on the growing conditions, specifically the oil content, and how that could have a positive or negative affect on the growth of the radish. There would be three radishes, one in a strictly soil control, one with a sandy mix of soil, and one with a fairly rocky soil. Observations would be taken based off of growth speed post-germination.
Any and all advice, critiques, and ideas for leaving this more fully fleshed out would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi Andrew,
Nice work identifying potential variables that affect plant growth. Why do you think oil may have some affect on plants? Do plants naturally have to deal with high levels of lipids (or oils/fats) in natural soils? I think you are on the right track with the different soil compositions that you've mentioned, however.
Talk to you soon!
Hello Andrew, It's great to hear that you all have ideas. Keep on sharing your ideas together, that's an important part of science, discussing ideas and communicating with each other. I look forward to hearing your response to the question that Brett asked.
from
Clare
Hello team,
My name is Brett Younginger at Portland State University in Portland, OR. It sounds like we are all looking to examine how different soil conditions (or additives to the soil) will affect the growth of Raphanus sativa. I think it is great that you are using seeds from this species. They are popular experimental plants in controlled and natural conditions because of their rapid growth rate and short time to full maturity. I have read many scientific papers that utilize this plant species to examine a variety of plant-related factors. Here are some thoughts to help you all hone your focus:
- If we are looking at soil factors that affect growth, what types of things do plants need in the soil to grow properly?
- How might different types of soil (e.g. rocky, sandy, clay) affect a plant's ability to obtain the things it needs to grow?
- What might you measure to determine a plant's success in your experiments? These could include measurements of the length of the longest three leaves, the diameter of the plant, and the fresh and dry weight of the plants.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions with the ideas above. I look forward to working with you all in the coming weeks!
Kind regards,
Brett
Hi Brett, nice to see an Oregonian in this group.
Clare
Hi everyone, sorry I'm late commenting. I'm Clare and I work for a Strawberry company in California. I'm originally from England, and I lived for several years in Oregon before coming to California 3 years ago. I'm looking forward to working with you all on this project.
The work I do for strawberries deals with plant pathogens. I try to diagnose what pathogens are causing plants to get sick so people send me samples of sick plants and I look at them and try to diagnose the problems. I also do experiments where I deliberately infect plants with diseases to see which varieties are the most and least susceptible. We want to grow plants which are disease resistant so that they get sick less often and that way we can grow more strawberries!
Now I will read through your comments and reply to you individually.
Clare