Plant hormone experiments

Controlling the direction of growth

Auxin is a plant hormone responsible for controlling the direction of growth of root tips and
stem tips in response to different stimuli including light and gravity.
Auxin is made at the tips of stems and roots. It's moved in solution to older parts of the stem
and root where it changes the elasticity of the cells. More elastic cells absorb more water and
grow longer, causing bending in the stem or root. It's thought that light and gravity can interfere
with the transport of auxin causing it to be unevenly distributed.
You may have noticed that a houseplant grows towards the window and turns its leaves towards
the light. It does this because light coming from the window side of the plant destroys the auxin
in that side of the stem. So growth on that side slows down.
On the shaded side of the plant there is more auxin. So growth on this side speeds up. The result
is that the shoots and leaves are turned towards the light for photosynthesis.
Auxin is produced in the tip of growing shoots.
If the tips are removed from growing shoots they cannot produce auxin, so phototropism cannot
occur.
If the tips are covered, light cannot break down the auxin, so phototropism cannot then occur
either.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/responses_to_environme
nt/planthormonesrev2.shtml

BIO 102 Lab Procedure

Plant Hormone Experiment

The Effect Of Different Hormones And Hormone Concentrations On The

Growth Of Radish Seeds.Your text discusses five basic plant hormones. The
following web sites will also give you information on plant hormones:
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPLANTHOR
M.html
This site contains a basic description of the plant hormones.
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e31/31a.htm
This site contains a more detailed description.
We are going to investigate the affects of two of those hormones on the growth
of radish seeds. This experiment will also investigate the phenomenon of
geotropism. A tropism is a growth response of a plant to an environmental
influence. Phototropism is the typical growth of plants toward light that most of
you have seen. This phenomenon is introduced in your textbook where the
discovery of plant hormones is discussed. A response to gravity is also obvious
even with no labeling instructions, you will manage to plant seed such that
the root grows and the stem grows up. This actually has nothing to do with how
you place the seed in the ground. It is simply how the growing root tip and
shoot tip respond to gravity. This phenomenon is called gravitropism (or
sometimes geotropism). This response will also be observed in your experiment.
(A third tropism is thigmotropism and is a response to touch or contact with a
surface; we will not investigate thigmotropism in this experiment.)

OBJECTIVES:
1.

2.

Use the scientific method to investigate the effect of auxin and gibberellin
on root seedling growth.
Investigate and understand geotropism in plants.

Plant Hormone Experiment Lab Report

Name______________________________________________________
Note: Write your hypothesis for each experiment BEFORE collecting data. ALWAYS use
metric measurements.

After recording data on table below, answer the questions on this lab report sheet. (50
points total)

Plate

Measured Root length

Seed One

Seed Two

Average
Length

Seed
Three

Seed Four Seed Five

Plain/No Turn

0.001 ppm
Auxin

0.01 ppm
Auxin

0.1 ppm
Auxin

1.0 ppm
Auxin

100 ppm
Gibberellin

Draw a graph for the average auxin data only. It may be made by computer
or drawn by hand using graph paper. Any other graphs will not be accepted. (10
pts)
Remember:
1.

Independent variable on the X-axis.

2.

Dependent variable on the Y-axis.

3.

Label both axes including units.

4.

Give the graph a title.

Part I

GEOTROPIC RESPONSE IN SEEDLINGS

1. Write a specific hypothesis for this experiment. (2 pts)

2. Day and time plain agar plate was turned 90

degrees

Days before turning

measurement

Days after turning until

Look at the turned plate and the non-turned plate.

3.Describe what happened to the roots after the plate was turned. Give the specific
term that applies to this result. (3 pts)

4. If you can tell, describe what happened to the shoots after turning. Give the specific
term that applies to this result. (2 pts)

5. What does the non-turned plate represent in the experiment? (2 pt)

6. Was your hypothesis supported? Describe what exactly in the results supports
it. (2 pts)

B. THE EFFECT OF HORMONES ON RADISH SEEDLINGS

1. Write a hypothesis for the effect of auxins on root growth and length. (2 pts)

2. Write a hypothesis for the effect of gibberellin on root growth and length. (3
pts)

3. What is the independent variable in the auxin experiment? (1 pt)

4. What is the dependent variable in the auxin experiment? (1 pt)

5. What does the non-turned plain agar plate represent in the auxin experiment?
(2 pt)

6. Looking at your graph for different auxin concentrations, was your hypothesis

supported? Describe what exactly in the results supports it or refutes it. Describe
any trend in the data that you see. (4 pts)

7. Looking at the plain agar plate and the agar plate containing gibberellin, was
your hypothesis supported? Describe what exactly in the results supports it or
refutes it. (2 pts)