Is There a Difference in the Elongation Rates of the Topside and Bottom side of a Root After Gravistimulation?
This experiment uses different measurements of a single root to begin to illustrate the mechanism of plant differential growth.
Experimental Design of What was Done in the Lab:
(Click Here for Step by Step Photos)
o Imbibe maize seeds for 24 hours.
o Plant seeds between 2 plates of glass and wet paper towels, cover with plastic wrap to hold together and retain moisture.
o Place in trough of water and let germinate for about 2 days, being sure to rewet the top of the paper towels in the glass so the plants do not dry out.
o Look at seedlings, pick out plants with a good root length (1-2 cm).
o Mount seedling on plate, either with a nutrient gel or damp filter paper to maintain moisture, and seal with parafilm.
o Set up camera, Rotate plant 90 degrees, and Capture the movie!
o Analyze growth patterns using NIH Image
See for yourself what happened!
This movie shows 6 hours of growth in 20 seconds of two roots after they have been gravistimulated, so the growth you see here is about 1000 times slower in real life.