Blog Updates

A White (Clover) Tie Affair: Update #3

12/10/19

A Very Formal Update.mov

Bonjour, Mesdames et Messieurs. You are cordially invited to the 1st Annual Plant Gala, a strictly white clover affair. We encourage all to enjoy the lovely Brandenburg Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced "Bah") as you read this update, at the right or bottom of this section. Please take care in remembering the purpose of this jubilant occasion. We have labored tirelessly in searching for a solution to world hunger through the inoculation of legumes, or the attachment of bacteria onto clover seeds and the production by bacteria of colonies on the roots. This idea presumes to be quite excellent to this degree, yet our research intends to look at the most feasible and accessible treatment for our star guest this evening, Monsieur Clover Blanc.

Our special guest will be able to replenish infertile soil with nitrogen if he is inoculated well, as colonies of bacteria (nodules) that develop after inoculation allow for nitrogen fixation (fixing atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for the plant) to occur. A red protein, leghemoglobin, is indicative of successful nitrogen fixation, so we intend for Monsieur Blanc to obtain high amounts of it.

One may ask why the affair necessitates this degree of formality. Quite simply, we have entered the most formal and standardized part of our project. Our plant guests are prepared to be counted and valued for the sake of data. And so, let us collect data and save the world. Cheers.

Image 1: Here we have our exquisite specimen, Monsieur Clover Blanc, growing quite well as displayed by the trifoliates and green lusciousness.

In an effort to warn away any flip flops or long sleeves, we must reassure you that these procedures are very formal—if the formality were graded on a rubric, for instance, it would score a 10/10. The dress code includes closed-toe shoes, long hair tied back, and protective nitrile gloves (as per the latest fall fashion. I, for one, prefer "Powder-Free by Vera Wang").

Our high-brow data collection begins each morn with a hands-on (and gloves-on) analysis of one trial of clover. In order to obtain a statistically significant amount of data, allowing us to find a valid conclusion for our experiment, we randomly select six plant cells out of the thirty, each containing a few sprouts of clover, seen in Image 2. These classy plants are uprooted and rinsed, freeing the roots from the dirt, by employing a chic method of a strainer and our gloved hands. Once the roots are primped and polished, appearing beautiful enough to attend the Plant Gala, they are placed in a petri dish and analyzed under a microscope.

Image 2: The above diagram depicts our method for randomly selecting which plant cells we will analyze. Each cell is assigned a number (1-30) before a random number generator picks 6 of those values. In addition, all 6 control cells are analyzed with the same methods.
Image 3: :The hours of labor and attention under a microscope were well-worth the ravishing results that we produced. We looked under the microscope at x40 magnification to count the minute orbs of bacteria.

Hours of eye strain and days of cramped backs are a small price to pay, apparent in Image 3, as our pain is beauty for our trials. The swanky number of nodules we are able to identify on the roots indicate higher success of each trial. This data test, of nodule number, is the most accurate of the three we are doing, the other two being a leghemoglobin assay and a biomass assay, so it one of utmost importance. Once the roots are finished being assessed, they are whisked away to the next grand moment in their lavish lifestyle: a biomass assay.

Image 4: The above photograph depicts researcher Hope separating roots from the surrounding dirt for an accurate biomass measurement. These roots are taken to a precision balance that give readings up to one one-thousandth of a gram.

Now, conversing about weight is a faux-pas, but mass is another story. Our honorable white clover has the pleasure of being examined for growth. Nodule count, in it of itself, is not enough to tell a compelling and formal story. Biomass, therefore, adds that x factor that can capture the health and strength of the white clover. With the roots separating from any excess dirt, seen in Image 4, the clover are kept overnight to desiccate the roots, and then are brought to a top-of-the-line precision scale to quantify the mass of roots. Properly, these roots are measured in sterling-silver weigh-boats.

The third and final exquisite data analysis that we perform is quite charming, as it quantifies the concentration of leghemoglobin within the roots. It is an assay, run through the Nanodrop 2000, of the liquid produced from grinding the roots in a phosphate buffer solution, evident in Image 5. The data from this assay will provide a numeric value for the amount of leghemoglobin within the nodules, indicating the success of the nodules of bacteria at performing nitrogen fixation. The exact procedures have not been determined as of yet, so the current solutions are stored at room temperature until this assay is finalized.

Image 5: Here, researcher Wheeler uses a micropipette tool to measure out precise quantities according to the mass of the roots. Then, the slurry is ground to produce a solution.

It is not our place to dictate exactly what may be the best solution for inoculation thus far in the process, but we certainly can speculate. Of the three trials we have conducted, Coca-Cola may have worked as the best treatment, or the liquid one uses to adhere bacteria upon the clover seeds. We saw ravishing displays of large leaves with blots of white pigment. The nodule counts, might I say, were simply for which to die. Splendid, yes? The controls displayed less growth and inoculation, all according to plan, thank heavens. I beg you, no more gossip! Read the report when it comes out, good sir/madame!

If your presence could be so humbly requested, we ask that you attend our very formal, very standard procedures for measuring data. Our guest of honor, white clover, would love to have you attend. If not, we shall bid adieu until our next rendez-vous. Merci, et au revoir.