On Tuesday 10/27 I did do one sterilization experiment, using the endophyte infected grass I've been growing in the plant incubator. The sterilization procedure I used for my last experiment was formulated specifically for grass species, and if I know for sure that my grass has been grown from endophyte infected seeds, then I should be able to grown something besides gray mold.
When looking at the silver leaved nightshade under the microscope there are dense trichomes on the surface of the leaf. Trichomes are fine growths on the surface of many plants that can serve many functions. They look like silver hairs protecting delicate plant tissue from harsh sunlight. They can also help prevent loss of water by creating a small bubble of moister air near the surface of the leaf. This is clearly on advantage in the desert where silver leaved night shade lives. Incidentially it is the dense mat of trichomes on SNS that gives it its name. Here is a photo of the SNS leaves under the microscope. The triangular snowflake structures are the trichomes.
I figure If I can get something besides contamination to grow on my grass I know that the procedure works and I simply need to let the silver leaved night shade soak in bleach a little longer to get it to penetrate between the trichomes of the leaf.
No comments:
Post a Comment