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14-10-2005, 01:10 PM
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[Plant-biology] how to remove the sap from a plant and then measurethe sugar content
I am a high school student doing a science project on plant sap
production. I need to grow a plant, remove the sap and then measure the sugar content. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to remove the sap and then measure the sugar content. Hello, Jen. One way to do this on a living plant is to use an aphid. These insects puncture stems with their mouth-parts and find the phloem: Then, you cut the aphid's body off its head, leaving the mouth-parts still in the phloem of the plant stem. I know - it sounds gruesome... Drops of the solution from the phloem can be collected from the aphid 'head' with a pipette. This also happens from the holes left in stems and leaves when aphids feed naturally, and it makes them sticky. The technique is called Aphid 'stylectomy': http://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/la...d/techniqu.htm Another possibility is to make very fine micro-pipettes by heating glass tubing in a Bunsen burner flame and then pulling it apart very quickly when it starts to melt (BE CAREFUL! and DON'T try this without proper supervision). You then have to do what the aphid does, but make sure nobody tries to use the aphid trick on you once you find the phloem... This is MUCH harder than it sounds, because you really need to use a micro-manipulator to insert a glass micro-pipette into the phloem. There are commercially available micro-pipette 'pullers': http://www.stoeltingco.com/physio/st...yword3=764&r=1 Good luck! Tony. -- Dr. A.J.Travis, | Rowett Research Institute, | http://www.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, | phone:+44 (0)1224 712751 Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK. | fax:+44 (0)1224 716687 |
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#2
15-10-2005, 01:13 AM
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[Plant-biology] how to remove the sap from a plant and then measurethe sugar content
How about sucking it out with a really small straw?
Be creative, Tony. "Tony Travis" wrote in message . net... I am a high school student doing a science project on plant sap production. I need to grow a plant, remove the sap and then measure the sugar content. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to remove the sap and then measure the sugar content. Hello, Jen. One way to do this on a living plant is to use an aphid. These insects puncture stems with their mouth-parts and find the phloem: Then, you cut the aphid's body off its head, leaving the mouth-parts still in the phloem of the plant stem. I know - it sounds gruesome... Drops of the solution from the phloem can be collected from the aphid 'head' with a pipette. This also happens from the holes left in stems and leaves when aphids feed naturally, and it makes them sticky. The technique is called Aphid 'stylectomy': http://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/la...d/techniqu.htm Another possibility is to make very fine micro-pipettes by heating glass tubing in a Bunsen burner flame and then pulling it apart very quickly when it starts to melt (BE CAREFUL! and DON'T try this without proper supervision). You then have to do what the aphid does, but make sure nobody tries to use the aphid trick on you once you find the phloem... This is MUCH harder than it sounds, because you really need to use a micro-manipulator to insert a glass micro-pipette into the phloem. There are commercially available micro-pipette 'pullers': http://www.stoeltingco.com/physio/st...yword3=764&r=1 Good luck! Tony. -- Dr. A.J.Travis, | Rowett Research Institute, | http://www.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, | phone:+44 (0)1224 712751 Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK. | fax:+44 (0)1224 716687 |
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