| MadSci Network: Botany |
For a phototropism maze experiment, the plant is usually not placed on its side. Plants placed on their side will respond strongly to gravity, termed gravitropism, formerly geotropism. The plant is placed in a corner of light tight box, with partitions, to make a maze. Light is allowed to enter through a small hole in the other end of the box. Bean plants or potato plants are often used for maze experiments because they grow rapidly. The potato tuber also has a large reserve of energy to allow the plant to survive in the dark. For more info, search google.com for phototropism maze. If you had a control, it could simply be a plant outside the maze. Another possible control is to build a second maze, the same size as the first, out of clear plastic. Perhaps a better phototropism experiment is described in the last reference and uses a 35 mm film can and different colors of plastic film. References Bean maze Re: Variables for my tropism project Phototropism - How little light will bend a seedling? Phototropism - Do Plants Prefer the Blues?
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