Title: Testing the strength of plant fibers
Objectives:
To develop knowledge and understanding of the strength of plant fiber in a plant stem.
To develop problem solving and experimental skills, for example, information is accurately processed, using calculations where appropriate, experimental procedures are planned, designed and evaluated properly, the use of microscopes, producing valid results and recording results.
To develop techniques of measuring the size of plant fibers under microscope using stage micrometer and eyepiece graticule.
Introduction:
Pumpkin plant
Pumpkin is of the genus Cucurbita and family Cucurbitaceae . Pumpkins are grown all around the world for a variety of reasons ranging from agricultural purposes to commercial and ornamental sales. Furthermore, the fruit is popularly harvested for consumption. The colors of the pumpkins are derived from the orange pigment abundant in them. The main nutrients of pumpkin are both alpha and beta carotene. Beta carotene generates vitamin A in the body. The plant grows in vines that spread low across the ground, with large leaves and yellow-orange flowers.
Plant fibres
Plant fibres consist of vascular tissues and the sclerenchyma fibres. Mature sclerenchyma cells are dead cells that have walls heavily thickened with lignin. There are two main types of sclerenchyma cells: fibres and sclereids. Fibres are elongated cells whose long, tapering ends interlock, to provide support to a plant. They can be found almost anywhere in the plant body, especially in the stem. Plant fibre contributes greatly to the strength of the plant stem. Some examples of naturally occurring fibres include are cotton, hemp, and jute. The vegetable fibres are based on the arrangement of ...
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The University of Western Cape. 2009. Sclerenchyma. Available from: http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/SCI_ED/grade10/plant_tissues/sclerenchyma.htm Accessed on 24th February 2009
Tiscali. 2008. Xylem. Available from: http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0007024.html Accessed on 24th February 2009
Wikipedia. 2009. Tensile strength. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensile_strength Accessed on 24th February 2009
Wikipedia. 2009. Fiber. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre Accessed on 24th February 2009
Two members of the group were instructed to visit the laboratory each day of the experiment to water and measure the plants (Handout 1). The measurements that were preformed were to be precise and accurate by the group by organizing a standardized way to measure the plants. The plants were measured from the level of the soil, which was flat throughout all the cups, to the tip of the apical meristems. The leaves were not considered. The watering of the plants took place nearly everyday, except for the times the lab was closed. Respective of cup label, the appropriate drop of solution was added to the plant, at the very tip of the apical meristems.
Many variations and species of plants can be found all around the world and in different habitats. These variations and characteristics are due to their adaptations to the natural habitat surrounding them. In three of many climatic zones, the arid, tropical and temperate zone, plants that vary greatly from each other are found in these locations. In this experiment, we’ll be observing the connection between the adaptations of the plants to their environment at the Fullerton Arboretum. The arboretum is a space containing numerous plants from different environments. The plants are carefully looked after and organized into their specific habitat. Therefore, we’ll be able to take a look at the plants within multiple
Charles Darwin once compared the root tips of plants to “the brain of one of the lower animals” he even reported electrical signal systems in plants, much like a nervous system. More than a century after Darwin, a scientist named Mancuso discovered the center for the electrical signals, or action potentials, is located in the root tips. Even small plants had nearly 14 million root tips, all acting in a similar way to a nervous system. Humans and most animals have centralized brains, meaning it is all grouped together in one spot, forming what we envision as a brain. Plants may not have a centralized brain like humans, but that doesn’t mean they lack a brain, in fact plants have “decentralized intelligence” distributed throughout them. Since plants cannot react quickly, they have no way of defending themselves against predators, so by scattering the “brain” plants avoid dying off when damaged (Marinelli). The root tips and sensory cells allow plants to feel and react to different stimuli. It is uncertain as to whether plants feel pain, but they do respond to anesthetics and react to being damaged. For example, when a caterpillar eats a plant’s leaf, the plant begins to secrete defensive chemicals. The censor cells react to the damage being done and cause the leaf to secrete chemicals to fend off the predator, as well as repair the
Experiment #3: The purpose of this experiment to test the chromatography of plant pigments the alcohol test strip test will be used.
Materials used in the experiment included 5-7 g of the potato tissue, 50ml of 2.0M phosphate buffer coffee filter and guaiacol dye.
own roots (not just the plant kind), this meant they needed a structure that was different than
The cultures were maintained at 25±20C under 16 hr illumination of 4000 lux intensity. The results are presented in Table 1, it can be seen from the data that pH of the medium had significant effect not only on regeneration frequency but also on number of shoots developed in each culture. Maximum 62.5±4.7 percent cultures in CoS 98259 and 67.3±4.9 percent in CoS 767 developed shoots at pH 6.0 while regeneration frequency was the lowest at pH 5.6. An increase in pH form 6.0 to 6.2 and 6.4 reduced the frequency of shoot regeneration from the callus (Table
How Light Affects the Stomatal Opening in a Leaf Abstract = == == ==
Activities: Classroom Activities in Plant Biotechnology. The American Phytopathological Society, n.d. Web. 5 April, 2014.
...ince, there is a need to use for advanced novel methods of culturing plant to furnish new means for quickly propagating,conserving of endangered species and also introducing exotic plants. The production of high quality planting material of exotic nature propagated from vegetative parts through tissue culture has created new opportunities in global trading. The exotic plants are advantageous for farmers;growers; nursery owners & rural employment. As exotic plants are restricted to their natural environment; the main benefit of tissue culture technology lies on production of high quality & uniform planting material that can be multiplied on a year round basis. The plant selected for such purpose is Stevia rabuadiana Bertoni. Objectives of study:
To delve into the clockwork of this technology we must start from the beginning. A plant starts its life as a single celled organism; the sperm within pollen fertilizes an egg. This egg (cell) divides to form the tissues and organs of a species. As development proceeds cells grow unique of one another and change. Different cells make up different things (ex cells in the stalk of the plant are much different than those of the piston) and these differences are attributed to the fact the different amounts of proteins in each cell.
Tissue culture is the process of growing plants in a cultured medium under controlled conditions from small plant parts. The plants produced in this manner are then transferred to the greenhouse and then grow. The advantages of tissue culture are:
Tissue culture has been in practice since the early 1900’s. Since its start, there has been many breakthroughs in producing a viable plant from culture. Tissue culture is defined as the growth of plants from plant tissue in an artificial medium and a sterile environment. The uses for this technique include food processing, agriculture, pharmaceutics, and medicines. It has an influence on human welfare like food processing, human health, and environmental protection. There is an increasing demand for tissue culture, therefore it is becoming more popular exploring more of its commercial potential. Tissue culture is also used for production of pathogen free plants, germplasm preservations, and year round propagation.