A UVM blog Beaning!

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we’re so back (7)

By ncocker
my stick with beans on it
NEW GROWTH LETS GO

After like three straight weeks of just a stick with beans on it, we are finally getting some growth!

This is a diagram of the bean flower i pulled off the internet.

A: Ovule: where the egg is stored and where the embryo grows

B: Sepals: leaves that protect the flower

C: Petal: attract pollinators with their beautiful colors and shapes

D: Carpel: female part of the flower. This includes the ovule, style , and stigma. Where female gametes are produced

E: Pistil: the male part of the flower. Includes the anther and filament.

#109 Formation of seed, conditions affecting germination | Biology ...
Diagram of a bean plant flower

In my bean plant, the flowers are a blue/purple and look like they should be insect pollinated: but they aren’t! They are actually self pollinating. When the flowers open, the anthers (where the pollen is) brush against the stigma (where the pollen needs to go to get to the egg). Cross-pollination is very rare!

The entire plant is leaning right now, I think it’s because it’s following the sun, so I moved it to more direct light. That’s an example of phototropism. Another tropism is geotropism: shoots grow up towards the sky and roots grow down towards the ground, regardless of orientation in response to the force of gravity.

This is the last update on my bean. Very much a wild rollercoaster of events. Truly enjoyed the experience. Now that this project is over, I will be sinking my pearly whites into the fruits on my bean plant, and enjoying a delicious snack. CHOMP.

it’s all over. (6)

By ncocker

all my bean’s leaves fell off. They yellowed and then flaked off, leaving only beans behind. it’s all over. this thing is not recovering.

An analysis of what happened: I forgot about it. The second I moved it to the window in my common room, it was past the point of no return. I was never going to remember to water it consistently, or check it for root rot, sun burn or pests, mites, mold, etc.

I can only hope God forgives me for this one.

The slow descent into death

No science on this one, just the emotions of guilt and mourning. Hope you can forgive me in this trying time.

beans and flowers (5)

By ncocker

Admittedly, I did not get great photos of the flowers, because they were all turning into BEANS!!!!!

The growth of the bean overtime. Notice the yellowing leaves… an ominous sign

LOOK AT THIS THING! IT’S PERFECT!

Somehow, in my dorm room, this thing managed to pollinate AND fertilize and begin to produce a fruit! WHAT?!

A bean pod is an example of a legume. Its a dehiscent fruit: one that splits open. Makes sense: on examination the pod has a seam lengthwise where it would split open, releasing the seeds.

Right now, the bean pod is super fleshy and green. But if left on the plant the fruit and the seeds dry up before splitting naturally.

The bean flower grows to attract pollinators and is the site of fertilization. Flowers create male and female gametes (eggs and sperms). The eggs are in the ovule, surrounded by the ovary. Two sperm enter the ovule. One of the sperm merges with the egg to create a seed. One merges with a polar nuclei to become endosperm, which is a food source for the seed. The ovary then develops into our fruit.

Here is a very scientific diagram of the life cycle of our bean. We are currently in the embryo stage!

The two types of generations in a plant is the gametophyte and sporophyte generations. The part we physically see in angiosperms is the sporophyte generation: multicellular and diploid (two sets of DNA, 1/2 from each parent.) The other part of the generation is the gametophytes. We do not see the gametophytes: they are the microspore and megaspore. They are haploid and typically single celled (1 sets of DNA). The gametes, known as the sperm and egg are what combine to make a baby plant.

the bean does not stop (4)

By ncocker

I think this is where spring break happened, so we’re about to see some speedy growth (about two weeks worth).

Two cotyledons and two funky little leaves
I asked about the wonky leaves, apparently it can happen when the leaves have been in the seed for while…
wow look at the growth over spring break!

Here I will talk about how plants grow: as a bean plant, my plant is part of the Fabaceae family. That means it’s a Eudicot!
A Eudicot is a type of angiosperm, or flowering plant, which evolved to have two cotyledons. They are different from monocots which only have one cotyledon.

Some other signs of a eudicot in my bean plant:

  • Net-like veins in the leaves
  • Taproot (believe me its there!)
  • Ringed vascular system (on a microscopic level)

Some other cool things in botany is phyllotaxy: how leaves are arranged on the stem. I’ve inserted a handy chart from the internet to explain the differences

Looks like we’re dealing with an Opposite Decussate plant. Exciting!

Dicot leaf | Biology plants, Plant science, Plant physiology

Here is a diagram of the leaf itself! The green we see on top of leaves is the protective layer of cells known as the cuticle. The mesophyll cells take care of photosynthesis, and the stomata are responsible for movement of gases in and out of the plant.

Photosynthesis is the plants way of converting solar energy into useable energy in the form of sugar.

So we know the plant gets water and nutrients from its roots, and gases from it’s leaves. We also know it creates sugars. So how does this get transported across the plant?

Xylem and Phloem are vascular tissues: the ‘veins’ of the plant. Xylem transports water and nutrients UP from the roots in a one way system. The phloem transports sugars DOWN from the leaves in a TWO WAY system. They work together to supply each cell with what they need to survive.

Transpiration pulls water UP the plant: as one water molecule leaves the leaf through the stomata, in order to keep the same pressure rate, another water molecule must be brought into the plant. This creates a constant movement of water up.

Turgor pressure keeps cells looking normal. This is when the cell has just the right amount of water in it. Water will move to the area with the highest solute. Having too much solute outside the cell means all the water leaves it and it becomes hypertonic. Having too much solute in the cell means its becomes hypotonic. Neither is good long-term we want to be perfect equal, and isotonic! So don’t over or under water!

the beaning continues (3)

By ncocker

Good morning! No time to chat, we have to talk about plants!

WE HAVE SPROUTS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! At this point in the semester I got excited to have this bean plant because I am seeing real-time what I am learning in class. Check out that SHOOT APICAL MERISTEM! The LEAF PRIMORDIA! The COTYLEDON! VOCAB!

COMPUTER, ENHANCE! TO THE… MOLECULAR LEVEL!

When the shoot apical meristem grows far enough away, axillary meristems start to undergo cell division. This is because the hormone auxin is no longer inhibiting growth and creating apical dominance.

We have zoomed in at the very tip of our bean plant: where all shoot growth starts.

In the shoot apical meristem, cell division occurs, and the shoot grows. The cells are pushed into the leaf primordium to grow into leaf cells that form a leaf! In the ground meristem, cells that become the cortex or the ‘body’ of the plant. The procambium give rises to all the vascular tissues in the plant, and the protoderm becomes the epidermis: the skin!

initial beaning (2)

By ncocker

What is the beaning of life? I don’t know but the seed is germinated and starting to emerge from the soil!

Seed Coat separating from the root and shoot
Cotyledon emerging
Cotyledon fully emerged and sprout growing

Now, you might believe that a seed will emerge from the earth with two fully formed leaves. But alas, these two leaf like structures are cotyledons, part of the seed. It’s what is left over of the endosperm. The endosperm is the food source for the plant embryo.

The dread of growing my own plant has lessened. I refuse to name it just in case it dies, but I am enjoying it’s presence in my life. Feeling: okay about this!

YOU WANT A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION? BOO!

Not pictured: root hairs (tiny follicles that branch off of the roots in order to increase mineral and water uptake)

Here is my very scientific drawing of a seedling. At this point, the tap root has established itself. Branching off of this are the lateral roots. These roots will uptake water and minerals used in growth and other important plant processes.

The hypocotyl has fully emerged from the soil and is growing upwards, towards the sun. The cotyledons are splitting to reveal the plumules, the first leaves. The leaves are turning green because of the presence of chlorophyll. Once fully emerged, they will begin the process of photosynthesizing, converting solar energy into useable forms for the plant.

Welcome to the beaning. (1)

By ncocker

This is the landing site of all things bean. Over the course of several months I nurtured a little seed into a stick with two beans on it. Are you ready? Let’s go!

To the untrained eye, this looks like a pot of soil. It is indeed a pot of soil. It also has a bean seed in it. This is Day 0 of the bean plant.

Feeling: encapsulating sense of dread. I cannot grow plants, despite my environmental major. Mother Nature grows plants, not Mother Naomi.

Let’s talk about what the seed is currently doing under the surface..

What’s under the surface?

  • Step 1: Rehydration of the bean. The seed swells and ‘kick-starts’ the beginning of seed emergence. The embryo is feeding on the endosperm, a built in nutrient source for little seeds.
  • Step 2: The radicle, the embryonic root, emerges from the seed
  • Step 3: The Hypocotyl extends out of the seed, towards the surface!
The radicle is supposed to be white, ignore the brown (limited color palette)

Tune in next time for an bean-tastic update!

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