The Effects of Magnesium Sulfate on Arabidopsis thaliana in the Absence of the AAP6 Gene
Our Hypotheses
HA: If 16.6 mM of magnesium sulfate is applied to Arabidopsis thaliana mutant experimental plants, they will grow wider rosettes and taller bolts, but fewer siliques than the wildtype control.
HA: If the AAP6 gene is inactive in Arabidopsis thaliana mutant control plants, they will grow smaller rosettes, shorter bolts, and fewer siliques than the wildtype control.
HA: If 16.6 mM of magnesium sulfate is applied to Arabidopsis thaliana wildtype experimental plants, they will grow wider rosettes, taller bolts, and more siliques than the wildtype control.
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium sulfate positively affects all aspects of plant growth. In one study, a plant with a molarity concentration of 10 mM performed poorly compared to the normal and low contents, which were 1 mM and 0.001 mMs, respectively (Niu, et al, 2016). In another study, on riparian trees affected by high Magnesium Sulfate content, the trees with higher magnesium sulfate molarities were less fit for their environment (Canham, et al, 2020). In an experiment involving magnesium sulfate levels and root growth, the A. thaliana that received the lower mMs of Magnesium Sulfate had exponential growth compared to the high and normal molarities (Niu, et al, 2014).
Why 16.6 mM of Magnesium Sulfate was Chosen
A range of 1-10 mMs of magnesium sulfate is recommended by two studies because they helped show how while a small amount of Magnesium Sulfate can be good, a large amount can be harmful. In contrast, very small amounts of Magnesium sulfate will have no effect. Because of this, we decided to keep the amount reasonably low to avoid harming the plants but high enough that we hypothesize that it will have some sort of effect on the Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Overall this amount should allow for some kind of effect without the risk of the Magnesium sulfate harming the plants.
Our Magnesium Sulfate solution
Who We Are
From left to right: Connor M., Cheyenne H., Colton M., Millicent J., Grayson G., Emma S., Benjamin C., Ariel J., Abigail A., Madeline S., Samir F., Kayla S., Tegan M., Emma S., Addyson M., Abigail R., Laurel V., Addison D., Hurley L., Margot B., Ella P.
We are the Blue Ridge Virginia Governor's School fourth block class for the class of 2027 at Louisa County High School. This is our third-semester project for the Blue Ridge Governor's School program. Our block is composed of ten diligent students who have worked extremely hard on making this website the best that it can be, although there have been challenges presented throughout the experiment. Our block is very cooperative and has done well working together to create a stable environment in which we can discuss any issues with each other comfortably, therefore we can work more efficiently.
Works Cited
Niu, Y., Jin, G., & Zhang, Y. S. (2014). Plant Signaling & Behavior, 9(9). doi:10.4161/psb.29720
Canham, C. A., Cavalieri, O. Y., Setterfield, S. A., Freestone, F. L., & Hutley, L. B. (2020). Effect of elevated magnesium sulfate on two
riparian tree species potentially impacted by mine site contamination. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-59390-9