The Prevention of Crown Galls (Plant Cancer) in Plants

Overview

Objectives/Goals HYPOTHESIS: I think that if I add antioxidants and nutritional supplements to the soil of germinating plants, then some, if not all of the plants will develop a resistance to crown galls (plant cancer), caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Methods/Materials PROCEDURE: I planted my sunflower and bean seeds. Since the sunflower seeds didn#t germinate, my experiment was done only on the bean seeds. I had a total of six pots. They included a pot for each plant watered with beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin E, vitamin C, all of these nutrients combined, and my control, water only. I watered once every day with a solution of 150mL of water and a pulverized antioxidant. The only time I didn#t water was when the soil remained moist from the previous day. For several weeks I followed this procedure, noting the growth of the plants. When the stalks were tall and strong enough, I exposed the plants in all six pots to the Agrobacterium. I did this by using the hypodermic needle to scrape away a small portion of the outer layer of cells on the stalk. I dipped one of the sterile swabs in the vile of Agrobacterium, and swabbed the open wound with the culture. I then watched for the formation of crown galls. MATERIALS: I used potting soil, 6 clay pots, sunflower and bean seeds, and an indoor plant light. I used a vial Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the sterile cotton swabs, and a hypodermic needle. I bought vitamin C tablets, the vitamin E capsules, the beta-carotene tablets, and the lycopene tablets. Household items used include a Pyrex measuring cup, a hammer (to pulverize the tablets), a spoon, paper towels, tap water, a fine finishing nail (to pierce the vitamin E capsules), and a camera to record visually the progress of my project. Results RESULTS: Crown gall growth was found in some plants. In addition, the type of antioxidant or vitamin supplement affected the rate of growth of the plant. Conclusions/Discussion CONCLUSION: My hypothesis was correct since some of the plants developed crown galls. These include the plants watered with lycopene, the plants watered with vitamin E, and the control plants. Galls didn#t develop on the plants watered with beta-carotene, the plants watered with vitamin C, or on the plants watered with all of the nutrients. In addition, the most rapid plant growth was with the lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin E.

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Pharmacology/ Toxicology · Entry J1404

Resources

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