Potassium Chloride and Arabidopsis thaliana

Hypotheses

Our hypothesis for the Wild Type Control Arabidopsis thaliana, which lacked the AAP6 mutation and was not exposed to Potassium Chloride, was thus; If we refrained from exposing the Wild Type Control  to the variable (Potassium Chloride) and mutating the AAP6, then the plant would be stricken  with Potassium deficiency resulting in a yellowing of the older leaves  also known as Chlorosis. 

Our hypothesis for the Wild Type Experimental Arabidopsis thaliana, which lacked the AAP6 mutation but was exposed to the variable, was a follows; If we exposed the Wild Type Experimental plant to 12 millimolars of the variable (Potassium Chloride) and refrained from mutating the AAP6, the plants biomass  and overall growth would be reduced due to the toxicity of the Potassium Chloride.

Our hypothesis for the Mutant Control, which lacked the variable but contained the AAP6 mutation, was thus; If we mutate the Arabidopsis  that have not been exposed to Potassium Chloride that still contain AAP6, then the rosettes would be just slightly larger.

Our hypothesis for the Mutant Experimental, which contained both Potassium Chloride and the AAP6 mutation, was a follows; If we exposed the Mutant Experimental to 12 millimolars of Potassium Chloride along with the mutated AAP6,  there would be no significant change as the Potassium Chloride would not interfere with the mutated AAP6. That being said, the rosettes would still grow to be a slightly larger size.

Explanation of the Variable

Potassium Chloride is a white, crystalline metal halide salt (a chemical compound formed by the combination of  a halogen and a metal)  composed of Potassium and Chlorine. The compound has a salt like appearance, is easily dissolved in water, and a salt like taste. It is being used in a plethora of fields from treating hypokalemia (a deficiency of Potassium in the blood stream), to being used in fertilizers to give plants Potassium, an essential nutrient for plants. It was first used industrially in 1868 after a large deposit was uncovered in Staßfurt, Germany as a potash fertilizer.

Background: Why was the variable chosen?

The experiment was run to test how Wild and Mutant type Arabidopsis thaliana plants react to a stressor. The variable of a 12mM potassium chloride solution was assigned to us, the first block OCHS group. Other BRVGS schools who ran this same experiment were given different stressors to test as variables.

Thank You Virginia Tech!

We are eternally grateful for this research opportunity that Virginia Tech gifted us. Thank you for the kick-off presentation which greatly helped our research and understanding of the topic.

Thank you,

Orange County's First Block Blue Ridge Virginia Governor's School Class of 2028