Searching for Light

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective was to study plant growth and determine if plant stems can move around obstacles toward a light source. My hypothesis was, " If plant stems can move toward a light source, then plant stems can move around obstacles that they may encounter." Methods/Materials I planted one lima bean seed in each of eighteen pots and waited for them to sprout. Once they sprouted, I moved six pots each into three boxes with holes cut in the top for a light source. One box had no dividers in it, one had two, and the last one had three. Then, I began taking daily pictures and records of the plants' growth. Results In Box 1 the plants grew straight up toward the hole in the top of the box. In Box 2 the plants grew up and around the one obstacle. The plants in Box 3 bent twice to curve around the two obstacles. Conclusions/Discussion My hypothesis is correct, "If plant stems move toward a light source, then plant stems can move around obstacles that they may encounter." The plants curved their way around the foam core shelves toward the light source at the top of the boxes.

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Plant Biology · Entry J1613

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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