Safety Keep soil away from young children. Place growing plants in warm place, available to sunlight, and that will not be disturbed.

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1 Growing Plants That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts; that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the charity of Christ which surpasseth all knowledge; that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Eph 3:17-19 Note: Growing the sweet potato takes some time. Growing the seeds takes less. Introduction Have you ever wanted to know what is happening to a seed when you plant it in the ground in the spring? Are there different ways to grow a plant? In this lab, we are going to grow 2 plants in two different ways. In both, we will be able to watch the growing plants through a viewingwindows, the glass jar! Learning Objectives: Observe two different types of plant growth patterns Identify the parts of the new plant Materials Required: From Biology Kit Student Supplied Test tubes and test tube rack 3-4 Seeds of different varieties * Pipet Sweet potato** Beaker (or preferably a pint glass Soil (potting preferably) canning jar) Ruler Toothpicks, ~4 Daily Plant Journal (See Pre-Lab below) *e.g.: navy bean; lima bean; corn; pea; whatever is available have fun with this! *Choose organic preferably, smaller with prominent and healthy buds ( eyes ). Safety Keep soil away from young children. Place growing plants in warm place, available to sunlight, and that will not be disturbed. Pre-Lab: Have a notebook where you will take notes, measurements, and sketches of your seeds and plants. This will be the Daily Plant Journal in which you will make all your daily scientific notes and measurements once your plants are in a secure place. Daily observe the plant. Journal and describe germination (for the seeds) or growth from the root (for the sweet potato), and the subsequent growth that occurs. Use the botanical terms for the structures you observe. Make small sketches of what you observe, including any relevant measurements. Note the colors of the tiny plants and when the colors begin to appear. Make small marks on the test tubes or beaker with a permanent marker (or a small piece of tape) to denote daily root growth. You can mark on the stem itself to mark daily stem growth. Measure the daily growth and include this in your journal. Identify the day on which the first leaf or leaves appear. Make a sketch of the plants at the point at which it has good root growth and several stems. Try to identify if the plant is a monocot or a dicot based on its growth pattern. Check with your teacher who will instruct you on if and how to display your plant. In drawing sketches, remember to follow the guidelines learned in Lab 2: Biological Drawings Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 1

2 Seeds 1. Prepare the Seeds: Place seeds in a beaker and cover with fresh water Hint: It would be best to soak several of the same variety then choose one from each kind that looks like it may be sprouting Cover the beaker and allow the seeds to soak for approximately 24 hours Why might this step be important? What step does this mimic in the environment? 2. Prepare the Soil: You will need enough soil to fill 3-4 test tubes Dampen the soil thoroughly Ideally, soil should be crumbly and easy to work with Soil needs to be damp so that seeds can obtain water easily If using potting mix, it contains silvery flakes of vermiculite which holds water for the tiny plant 3. Fill the test tubes with soil: Wash test tubes well Fill test tubes with soil to within ~1-cm from the top Do not pack the soil, but tap gently to make sure there are no large air pockets Use the pipette to make a dent in the soil near the glass on one side of each test tube Carefully, drop a seed into this dent in each test tube Cover the seeds with soil to the top of the test tube Water gently with a pipette or a spray bottle Place the test tubes in the rack or a small glass so they are standing upright Place them in a place where they will receive warmth and sun but not concentrated direct sunlight for long periods of time Protect them from cold drafts or from being disturbed 4. Observe: See the notes in the Pre-Lab above The test tubes are small, so be prepared to water with a pipette or mister every day if necessary but do not overwater In the Daily Plant Journal, record things such as: Time between planting and appearance of root; of shoot; of germination; of leaf Which emerges first, root or shoot or do they emerge at the same time? Can you identify and draw the: seed coat; embryo; cotyledons; plumule; embryo; whether this is a monocot or a dicot? Record what happens to the seed coat, embryo and food source as germination occurs Mark each day s growth either on the test tube or on the shoot; and record the growth (in mm or cm) in your Journal Note when the first leaf occurs and how many leaves appear 2016 Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 2

3 Note the stem s growth in length AND in width As the embryo grows, what is happening to the food source for the developing embryo? 5. Answer the Data Analysis and Conclusions in the Post-Lab Sweet Potato a dicot, tuberous root vegetable Sweet potatoes do not grow from seeds, but from slips that you can purchase from the store, but that you will grow yourself here. The stem portion of the slips grow from eyes or buds. The roots of the slips arise at the underground (in our case, underwater) nodes of the main stem. Slips can be removed to plant outdoors in order grow the tuber sweet potato, when weather permits. Often, people just love to grow sweet potato vines in the home because of the beautiful color of the leaves. You will keep a Daily Plant Journal for noting the sweet potato growth events and in which you will make all your daily scientific notes. See Figure Below. 6. Prepare the Sweet Potato and beaker or jar: Locate the center of the potato Insert 3 of the toothpicks ~½-inch into the potato evenly space the toothpicks around the center of the potato Use the toothpicks to rest the potato on the edge of a beaker You could also use a pint-sized canning jar Make sure the pointed end of the potato is pointing down into the beaker/jar If the potato is too large for the jar, it is fine to cut the pointed end off so that it will fit But, make sure that the upper portion and eyes are not cut Fill the beaker or jar so that it covers the bottom Place the beaker on a sunny window sill as it likes plenty of sunshine Change the water every few days sweet potatoes like fresh water If the potato fails to bud, you may have too many additives in the water try changing to bottled water 7. Observe: See the notes in the Pre-Lab above The buds may take a few weeks to bud, especially in winter, but the growth is fast once it starts In the Daily Plant Journal, record things such as: Time between planting and appearance of root; of leaf; of slip ; Which emerges first, root or leaf or do they emerge at the same time? Can you identify and draw the: eye, root, slip, node? Record what happens to both potato and the bud grows larger? Mark each day s growth either on the jar or on the stem; and record the growth (in mm or cm) in your Journal Note when the first leaf occurs and how many leaves appear Note the stem s growth in length AND in width 2016 Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 3

4 8. Benefits of the sweet potato growth: Leaves of the sweet potato are beautiful, and many have kept this as plant to beautify the home When the leaves have sprouted, you can pick a few and taste them as they are edible Once the plants, or slips or bigger, you can eat them as an excellent source of vitamins and minerals The slips can be planted in the garden and harvested later for the sweet potato tubers 9. Answer the Data Analysis and Conclusions in the Post-Lab 2016 Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 4

5 Lab Report for: 1. Seed coat: a. Describe the seed coat of your seed or seeds. Did it remain? b. What is the function of the seed coat? c. Why did you presoak the seeds for about 24 hours? 2. Root: a. When did the root appear? b. Did the root appear at the same time as the stem? c. Was there one main root like a taproot, or many smaller roots? d. What is the purpose of the root for the young plant? 3. Stem: a. How did you distinguish between the root and the stem at germination? b. Describe how the stem appeared as the leaves were beginning to emerge? c. Did the stem grow in width as well as in length? Explain. d. What is the purpose of the stem for the young plant? 4. Leaves a. How many days after germination did the leaves appear? b. How many leaves appeared: one or two? c. What was the shape of the first leaves? d. What is the purpose of leaves for young plants? 5. Was the plant a monocot or a dicot? Explain your answer. 6. Seed: a. The seed was covered in the seed coat. What else did the seed contain that helped the tiny plant? b. What did you observe about the seed as the plant grew? 2016 Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 5

6 7. Prepare a summary of your Daily Plant Journal and submit to your teacher in the form they request. Sweet Potato 8. Explain the difference in growth patterns between the seeds and sweet potato. 9. Were you surprised to learn that plants could be grown in different ways? Explain. 10. Were the seeds or potatoes slower growing? What difference could this make for harvesting? 11. Prepare a summary of your Daily Plant Journal for the Sweet Potato and submit to your teacher in the form they request Catholic Initiatives in Math and Science, LLC All Rights Reserved 6