SUBJECT: Lab experiments using mung beans

DATE: 5/97

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I am looking for laboratory experiments used to teach concepts on plant

life and processes that UTILIZES MUNGBEANS (or any of its

"relatives"--Leguminosae)

 

This is connection with my research at the Laboratory of Science

Education, Hiroshima University, Japan.

 

I would really appreciate any information.

 

THANKS!!!

 

 

Haima Rowena J. Lucas

 

hrjlucas@ipc.hiroshima-u.ac.jp

 

 

 

A great experiment to do with members of the leguminosae is to

investigate the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with Rhizobium. One could

approach the experiment from many diferent angles - nutrition,

plant-microbe interactions, host specificity, developmental biology (of the

root nodules), agriculture (crop rotation) etc.

 

For my non-science majors bio next semester, I plan to provide the

students with "sick" (grown in N-poor medium without Rhizobium) and

"healthy" (with Rhizobium) plants. The students will make observations

and hopefully notice the nodules on the roots of the healthy plants. They

will be instructed to develop hypotheses as to why the plant is sick -

disease, nutrient deficiency, doesn't have nodules. Finally, they will

devise and conduct the experiments (add different nutrients to medium -

NO3 should help, others won't; grind up sick plant, inoculate onto healthy

- do you see disease?; Grind up healthy plant, inoculate onto sick one -

nodules should form, making plant "healthy" I haven't tried this in a class

before, so it will be interesting to see whether it works. If you're

interested, I have Rhizobium strains that nodulate bean, soybean, pea,

alfalafa, and lotus. I don't know whether any of them will nodulate

mungbean.

 

Jeff

 

Jeffrey D. Newman newman@lycoming.edu

Department of Biology http://lyco.lycoming.edu/~newman/

Lycoming College Phone: 717-321-4386

Williamsport PA 17701 Fax: 717-321-4073

 

 

I would be interested in sources for the different Rhizobium species specific

for various legumes. Where do you (did you) get them?

 

David Crabtree

Hillsdale College

Hillsdale, MI

david.crabtree@ac.hillsdale.edu

 

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