Developed by Paul Wheeler,Charlee Wyatt, Shirley Splittstoesser, Ed Dole
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In the Plant Mineral Requirements - P, N, Fe kit students will:
- Study the function of two macronutrients and one micronutrient needed by plants.
- Design, execute, and analyze a simple research project.
- Publish their results for classmates
Length of time: 6-7 weeks
| Day 1 Discuss physical, biological, and chemical needs of plants. Set up journal entries. Decide on items to observe. Discuss evaluation procedures. |
Day 2 Plant Basic Brassica rapa seeds in four trays. Water with appropriate solution. Begin journal entries. These will be done daily. |
Days 3-4 Begin to check high-low thermometer daily and record. Cotyledons should emerge. Sketch and note color and size. Check moisture level. Journal entry. |
Day 5 Thin to one plant/cell. Transplant if necessary to obtain one plant in every cell. Water for weekend. Journal entry. | |
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Week 2 Monday - water each tray with the appropriate solution. The rest of the week check to see there is sufficient moisture for plant growth and add distilled or bottle water as needed. Daily - Do sketches and record observations in journals. |
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| Week 3 Monday - water each tray with the appropriate solution. The rest of the week check to see there is sufficient moisture for plant growth and add distilled or bottled water as needed. Flowers will appear and students will pollinate with bee sticks or cotton swabs. Daily - Do sketches and record observations in journals. | ||||
| Weeks 4-5 Monday - water each tray with the appropriate solution. The rest of the week check to see there is sufficient moisture for plant growth and add distilled or bottled water as needed. Observe seed pod development. Daily - Do sketches and record observations in journals. | ||||
| Week 6 (approximately) When seed pods are developed, turn off the lights and let plants dry out for a week. | ||||
| Week 7 Harvest seeds observing closely the number of pods and number of seeds/pod. Compare seed production among the four trays. Analyze information and sketches recorded in journals. Publish results and present to classmates. Assessment. | ||||
Brief Description of Activities
General Planting Instructions - Chart 1 |
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*The Mineral Requirements Set will contain directions for using sorghum seeds. For our project we use *Basic Brassica rapa seeds. Plant the Basic Brassica rapa seeds 1/8 - 1/4 inch deep. Be sure to keep the solution/water level up above the bottom of the perlite in the containers so it will soak up and maintain the moisture at all times during the activity. We use four trays as indicated in chart 3. An inert growing substance must be used. We've selected perlite. This is essentially hydroponics. The perlite is only a structural medium to hold the roots and provide aeration. A note on the perlite. The dust from dry perlite is especially irritating to the respiratory lining. It is essentially ground up volcanic material. If you look at the dust under the microscope it looks like tiny shards of glass. Teachers or students who fill trays with perlite should wear a mask. The teacher may want to fill the growing cells in the four trays 2/3 full before class starts. Perlite will expand when moistened and will no longer be dusty. We use 36 cell plastic growing quads and watering trays (21" X 11") which are available from most garden supply stores. A bank of six 48" fluorescent lights provide illumination. These can be purchased from *Carolina Science Materials catalog or can be made by attaching three shop lights from a hardware store to a frame. The six fluorescent lights will stay illuminated 24 hours/day seven days/week during the entire time plants are growing. *The Wisconsin Fast Pants Manual from Carolina Science Materials catalog is an invaluable guide to growing the Basic Brassica rapa plants and provides accompanying activities. A high-low theremometer from hardware or garden stores will alert you if the temperature varies from the desired optimal growing temperature of between 22 - 28 degrees C (72 - 82 degrees F)
------------------------------ *available from Carolina Science Materials catalog 1-800-334-5551 |
Watering and Solution Information - Chart 2 |
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Follow directions in *The Mineral Requirements Set for preparation of solutions. The mineral packets in The Mineral Requirements Set will contain more than enough solution for this experiment as described. They recommentd that only de-ionized water should be used for preparing solutions. Distilled water may be used if you are certain that it is free of mineral contaminants. Click here for mixing directions. On the day the seeds are planted pour two liters of the appropriate solution into each tray. The perlite will rapidly absorb the moisture. For the rest of the week add only de-ionized or distilled water (a good 1/4" to 1/2" above the bottom of the perlite containers ) to maintain moisture for growth. On Fridays fill the watering trays with de-ionized water to a depth of about 3/4 inch to keep the perlite constantly moist, thus preventing the plants from drying out over the weekend. The second through fifth week water with one liter of the appropriate solution on Monday. For the rest of the week add only de-ionized or distilled water to maintain moisture for growth. Water generously on Friday as indicated in the paragraph above.
------------------------------ *available from Carolina Science Materials catalog 1-800-334-5551. |
Tray Arrangement - Chart 3 | |||
| Tray 1 | Tray 2 | Tray 3 | Tray 4 |
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Plants in this tray are deprived of P (phosphorus) Growth medium: perlite Seeds: Basic Brassica rapa
See Chart 2 - See Chart 2 for watering schedule |
Plants in this tray are deprived of N (nitrogen) Growth medium: perlite Seeds: Basic Brassica rapa
See Chart 2 - See Chart 2 for watering schedule |
Plants in this tray are deprived of Fe (iron) Growth medium: perlite Seeds: Basic Brassica rapa
See Chart 2 - See Chart 2 for watering schedule |
Plants in this tray are the control Growth medium: perlite Seeds: Basic Brassica rapa
See Chart 2 - See Chart 2 for watering schedule |
Day 1 - Discuss with students concepts needed for this study: macronutrients, micronutrients, controlling variables, and journal procedures including items to observe/measure/sketch.
General Background Information:
Three general environmental categories interact to influence all life.
1. Physical - ex. light and temperature
(Optimal growing temperature is between 22 - 28 degrees C (72 - 82 degrees F).
2. Biological - ex. algae and insects
3. Chemical - ex. atmosphere, water, and inorganic nutrients
Carbon dioxide from the air makes up approximately 45% of the dry weight of plants and is the primary source of carbon incorporated into organic molecules via photosynthesis.Plants gain access to the inorganic nutrients P, N, and Fe that feature in this experiment through the unbroken course of water from the soil into and throughout the plant.
Day 2 - Plant Basic Brassica rapa seeds. (See information in Charts 1, 2, and 3.) Observe health safety guides. See information on perlite in Chart 1.)
Days 3-4 - Record cotyledon information in journals. (See Chart 2 for watering and solution information.)
Day 5 - Thin to one plant per cell transplanting if necessary to obtain one plant in every cell. (See Chart 2 for watering information.) Daily journal entry.
Week 2 - On Monday add one liter of appropriate solution to each tray. (See Chart 2 for watering and solution information.) For the remainder of the week make journal entries.
Week 3 - On Monday add one liter of appropriate solution to each tray. (See Chart 2 for watering and solution information.) Plants will be ready to pollinate this week. (See The Wisconsin Fast Plants Manual for ideas.) For the remainder of the week make journal entries.
Weeks 4-5 - On Monday add one liter of appropriate solution to each tray. (See Chart 2 for watering information.) Plants will mature and you will observe seed pod formation. For the remainder of the week make journal entries.
Week 6 - When seed pods are developed, turn off the lights and let plants dry out for five days. Continue observations and journal entries.
Week 7 - Harvest seeds observing closely number of pods and number of seeds/pod. The seeds can be replanted immediately or saved and replanted later. Compare seed production among the four trays. Analyze journal entries. Publish results and present findings to classmates. Assessment suggestions: graph results, evaluate journals, presentations.
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last updated 3.10.99