The Importance of Phosphate Levels (NaH2PO4) on Proper Arabidopsis thaliana Development
Introduction
Proper plant development is dependent on nutrient availability (Krouk et al. 2011). In this regard, plants can respond to nutrient availability by changing their root system architecture. In particular, phosphate (NaH2PO4) levels were found to affect the root system architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana (Williamson et al. 2001), which might impact overall plant development. A better understanding of plant nutrient requirements is important for the real world application of sustainable optimization of agricultural production for the human population (Reece et al. 2011).
Arabidopsis thaliana has been extensively used as a research model in …show more content…
thaliana seeds inoculated on an agar plate containing 1mM of phosphate (NaH2PO4), while in the experimental (low phosphate) group, 42 A. thaliana seeds were inoculated on a 1 μM phosphate agar plate (Biology 108 Lab Manual 2015). There were 6 agar plates (Class groups) within each treatment group. Using sterile technique with a pasteur pipette, 1 seed per agar plate grid-line was inoculated for a total of 7 seeds per treatment. The agar plates were sealed, labeled, and incubated at room temperature for 2 weeks. Then, germination frequency and the quality of seedling development was determined in both groups. To control for possible growth disturbances, the root length (mm) was assessed in the four roots closest to the left side of each agar plate using a standard laboratory ruler, which resulted in a sample size of N = 24 (for each treatment group). The root length was analyzed using a two-sample t-test (excel data analysis) assuming equal variances with an α-level of …show more content…
thaliana seedlings development revealed that the seedlings exposed to low phosphate were less healthy, less developed, and exhibited less branching (Table 2, Figure 1, 2). These findings support the original hypothesis and suggest that phosphate levels are important not only for the establishment of root architecture, but also for the structural development of A. thaliana. Whether the negative effect of low phosphate level on structural development in plants is due to poor root development needs to be elucidated. Surprisingly, the germination frequency did not differ between both groups (0.976 vs. 1) suggesting that phosphate levels may not have a direct impact on early plant development (Table 1). Therefore, results do not provide evidence to support the original hypothesis that low levels of phosphate would decrease germination frequency.
Introduction
Proper plant development is dependent on nutrient availability (Krouk et al. 2011). In this regard, plants can respond to nutrient availability by changing their root system architecture. In particular, phosphate (NaH2PO4) levels were found to affect the root system architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana (Williamson et al. 2001), which might impact overall plant development. A better understanding of plant nutrient requirements is important for the real world application of sustainable optimization of agricultural production for the human population (Reece et al. 2011).
Arabidopsis thaliana has been extensively used as a research model in …show more content…
thaliana seeds inoculated on an agar plate containing 1mM of phosphate (NaH2PO4), while in the experimental (low phosphate) group, 42 A. thaliana seeds were inoculated on a 1 μM phosphate agar plate (Biology 108 Lab Manual 2015). There were 6 agar plates (Class groups) within each treatment group. Using sterile technique with a pasteur pipette, 1 seed per agar plate grid-line was inoculated for a total of 7 seeds per treatment. The agar plates were sealed, labeled, and incubated at room temperature for 2 weeks. Then, germination frequency and the quality of seedling development was determined in both groups. To control for possible growth disturbances, the root length (mm) was assessed in the four roots closest to the left side of each agar plate using a standard laboratory ruler, which resulted in a sample size of N = 24 (for each treatment group). The root length was analyzed using a two-sample t-test (excel data analysis) assuming equal variances with an α-level of …show more content…
thaliana seedlings development revealed that the seedlings exposed to low phosphate were less healthy, less developed, and exhibited less branching (Table 2, Figure 1, 2). These findings support the original hypothesis and suggest that phosphate levels are important not only for the establishment of root architecture, but also for the structural development of A. thaliana. Whether the negative effect of low phosphate level on structural development in plants is due to poor root development needs to be elucidated. Surprisingly, the germination frequency did not differ between both groups (0.976 vs. 1) suggesting that phosphate levels may not have a direct impact on early plant development (Table 1). Therefore, results do not provide evidence to support the original hypothesis that low levels of phosphate would decrease germination frequency.