Science project idea on how rapid Improvement of plants and animals can occur.
Rapid Improvement of Plants and Animals- Science Project Idea
Greater variation may be brought about by pollinating flowers by hand.By this means also, a variety of plant or fruit possessing certain desirable characteristics may be obtained rather quickly.For example, edible oranges cannot be produced in a region where frosts are likely to occur.There is, however, a species of orange tree having a bitter, uneatable fruit which is very hardy and will grow much farther north than the sweet orange. In 1896 and 1897, plant breeders of the United States Department of Agriculture attempted to produce an edible orange which would grow much farther north.This was done in the following way.Pollen from the flowers of the bitter orange was placed on the stigmas of flowers of the sweet orange and vice versa.This was done for thousands of flowers, and is called hybridizing.
There was great variation in the plants that developed from the seeds of these flowers.The young plants were grown where they would be exposed to considerable cold.Many of them could not withstand the low temperature and died.Others which showed good healthy growth in spite of the cold were grafted upon orange trees.Out of the thousands of grafts made, only three produced fruit that was of value.The flavor of these was good and they possessed the advantage of being able to live two to four hundred miles north of where the ordinary sweet orange was able to exist.These varieties were propogated in turn by further grafting.In plants that can be propogated by cuttings, as roses, carnations, geraniums, etc; by roots, rootstocks, or tubers, as potatoes, gladioli, etc.; or by grafting, as fruit trees, favorable variations obtained by hybridizing may be readily retained.In plants, however, that are propagated only by seed, as cotton, corn, wheat, most vegetables, etc., a process of rigorous selection must follow.After four to six generations the plants will "come true to seed" fairly well, but the process of selection must continue every year or the desirable characteristics will disappear.
Very striking results have been obtained by plant and animal breeders through the use of selection and hybridizing.Luther Burbank especially has developed some very interesting plants, such as the white blackberry and spineless cactus.
Science Project Idea
Graft one color rose on to another color rose.Research and present what will happen to the rose plant if you do this type of experiment.Present your ideas and make a model of the way you will graft your plant.
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