| 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 body parts. Before a plant can fully synthesize its own food, it relies on the food inside of its seed. Being in class, we've discovered that certain plants are good for others, such as a pea plant with corns, and certain plants are bad. Observing the plants in the green house, We've noticed that cucumber vines avoid getting tangled with nasturtiums but watermelon vines willingly latch on to them to cut down their flow of nutrients. We've also seen some odd cucumbers by cross pollinating two different species of cucumbers. From taking a class of botany, we've learned a lot about plants and how to take care of them. But more knowledge means we should seek more questions. Maybe we can ask: What chemical is the nasturtium releasing that repels the cucumbers but not the watermelon? What may a watermelon and cucumber plant in similarity and difference? How would the next generations from a plant differentiate from it's mother plant? Why does it require a female and male plant to make cucumbers? There are tons of questions when regarding to plant science and there are more than one outcome. |
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| 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 there any way to expand upon or exploit such a property? It is likely to be a part of their biochemistry, and if it is a part of their biochemistry there ought to be a way to condense or extract such a property in order to make for a better crop. Or, at least, this was the thought process. Biochemistry also begs the question of "Would this even have a positive effect?" One of the teammates offered up that, perhaps, there may be a negative effect on the next generation. This possesses validity in and of itself, as we haven't the knowledge, and any question is valid in the pursuit of the furtherance of knowledge. |
| 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 chemicals due to being ripped apart. |
| 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 goes for all of them for the numbering and the leaf will have will be having pre boiled leaf water 25 ml were pored into the leaf bags. The body bags had 9 chopped up body parts of the radish inside each bag. For the root bag we had another 25 ml of water poured into the root bag. We right now are watching it grow. |
| 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 major problem that arises from the inclusion of the main body, or rather “bulb” section of radish. Due to some aspect of the biological chemistry, the radish seeds were left in an environment that was inhospitable, though not forbidding for their growth. (Addie, Andrew, Cindy) |
| Investigation Theme | WOS |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| School Name | Service High School |
| Session | Fall 2016 |
