After a brief introduction to pollution, students brainstorm to determine which pollutants they want to use in their experiments. They should try to pick pollutants that are a real concern in their hometown and also are going to be practical to examine in a classroom. Some of the pollutants chosen in our hometown have been road salt (a real concern because of New England winters), acid rain, excess fertilizers, pesticides, motor oil, and low-frequency magnetic radiation.

Students then collect data on the growth rate and viability of their plants and compare them to the controls (untreated plants). The results of these experiments have been very interesting and have cleared up student misconceptions. For instance, many students would say that acid rain is much more harmful to plants than road salt, yet their experiments have demonstrated that this is not necessarily the case. Students have also been amazed at the damage that common pesticides can do to plants.

In my college preparatory biology class, I have incorporated Wisconsin Fast Plants materials into many traditional experiments. Simple Mendelian genetics can be demonstrated easily by growing and pollinating F1 hybrid plants to produce F2 seed that segregate by anthocyanin production (purple pigment) vs. no anthocyanin production, and/or light-green vs. dark-green plant color.

This past year my students were excited when they were able to extract and quantify the DNA from plants they had grown themselves. The DNA was extracted using dishwashing liquid and meat tenderizer, and diphenylamine was used as an indicator for DNA. The DNA can also be run on electrophoresis gels with a standard DNA sample for quantification (Rasmussen and Matheson 1990).

Figure 3 Students pollinating Wisconsin Fast Plants flowers.

When students apply gibberellic acid to a plant's growing tip, a remarkable change takes place. Within a few days the rosette's stem has begun to elongate, and the plant begins to look more like the "normal" wild-type plant. In addition to demonstrating a physiological response, this activity illustrates the difference between the genetic control of a trait and the effect of the environment on that same trait. When the seed from untreated rosette plants are grown, they show students that acquired characteristics (such as those caused by applying gibberellic acid) do not affect the genetic make-up of an organism.

Another experiment students find fascinating is using Wisconsin Fast Plants materials to demonstrate tropic responses. Four-day-old seedlings readily show both geotropic and phototropic responses. Seedlings turned on their side begin to curve upwards within two to three hours. The term "fast" really seems appropriate when students can see tropic responses within one school day!

In the honors biology class, Wisconsin Fast Plants are the only organism used for independent projects. Over the past several years the range and scope of these projects have surpassed even my greatest expectations. Students have examined topics such as cytoplasmic inheritance (mitochrondrial and chloroplastic), the effect of various chemicals (e.g., colchicine, pesticides, and herbicides) on plant growth and development, the effect of excess carbon dioxide on Wisconsin Fast Plants, and the effects of gamma and electromagnetic radiation.

Rasmussen, Alison M., and Robert H. Matheson, III. 1990. A Sourcebook of Biotechnology Activities. National Association of Biology Teachers, Reston VA.

Williams, Paul H. 1993. Bottle Biology. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque IA.

Williams, Paul H. 1980. Bee-sticks, an aid in pollinating Cruciferae. HortScience 15:802-803.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. 1989. Wisconsin Fast Plants Manual. Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. 1990. Wisconsin Fast Plants Elementary/Middle School Manual. Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC.