Fruit Ripening Experiment

Objective

To demonstrate the role of plant hormones in fruit ripening.

Materials

Clear plastic bags (Ziploc bag), marker, four pieces of green banana, three different
fruits.

Procedure

1. Label the plastic bags 1 to 4.

2. Place one banana in container 1 and do not seal the container. This will serve as the
control.
3. Place one fruit with a banana in each of the remaining three containers. Do not seal the
containers.
4. Store the containers in locations away from one another, but with the same conditions.
5. Observe the fruits. Record your observations in the table below.

Results and Observations

Container Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

1 There are no changes The color of banana The banana finally
occurred in the started to change from changed its color to
banana. green, it showed some yellow.
yellow color.
2 Nothing happened The banana is The banana is already
between the two yellowish but it is still ripened.
fruits. not ripe.
3 The color of banana The banana slowly The banana is already
and kiwi stayed the changed from green to ripened and it has
same. yellow. some brown shades in
its skin.
4 Changes didn’t occur The color of the Both of the fruits are
in any of the fruits. banana is already already ripe.
yellow.
Questions and Analysis

1. What happened to the banana in container 1?

- The banana took some time to ripen, from day 1 to day 8 among the three containers
it showed the least development.
2. Which of the fruits were the most ripe?
- The container with banana and kiwi is the fastest to get ripe.
3. What did the apple, orange, and dalanghita look like after eight days?
- After 8th days, all the other fruits that was placed together with the banana ripen.
4. What do you think influenced the ripening of fruits?
- There’s a hydrocarbon gas called ethylene which is responsible for aging and ripening
processes in fruit and vegetables. Due to the ethylene released by other fruits, the
banana ripened.

Conclusions

Fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas which among other things causes fruits to ripen. Fruit
that is already ripe releases more ethylene than fruit that is not ripe. As bananas ripen, they turn
from green to yellow, the peel softens, and the fruit becomes sweeter. The soft peel is prone to
bruising. When exposed to oxygen, the bruised peeled will turn brown. The apple, kiwi, and
orange gives off ethylene gas which causes the banana to ripen. Temperature also has a big role
in ripening fruits, because warm temperature can speed up the production of ethylene gas in the
process of ripening stage.

Questions and Problems

1. Auxin
- Also, temperature has a big role in ripening fruits because warm temperature can sped
up the production of ethylene gas in the process of ripening stage.
2. Cytokinin
- Cytokinins are involved in many plant processes, including cell division and shoot
and root morphogenesis. They are known to regulate axillary bud growth and apical
dominance.
3. Gibberellic Acid
- Gibberellins are growth hormones that stimulate cell elongation and cause plants to
grow taller. Gibberellins also have a role in other plant processes, such as stem
elongation, germination, flowering, and fruit ripening.
4. Abscisic Acid
- Abscisic acid is a ubiquitous plant hormone which plays an important role in the
inhibition of seed germination and budding. It is known as the plant stress hormone
and is involved in the response of plants to weather stress, such as tolerance to cold
and drought.
5. Ethylene
- It takes role in fruit ripening, loss of chlorophyll, abscission of plant parts and
bending of stems.
6. Brassinosteroids
- Brassinosteroids are generating a significant impact on plant growth and
development, photosynthesis, transpiration, ion uptake and transport, induces specific
changes in leaf anatomy and chloroplast structure.
7. Oligosaccharin
- Oligosaccharins participate in the regulation of growth, development, and survival in
different environmental conditions.
Plant Responses and Growth

Objective

To demonstrate plant responses and growth.

Materials

Eight paper cups or tin cans, mongo seeds/seedlings.

Procedure

1. Plant three mongo seeds in each of the paper cups.

2. Place the four cups with seeds in a dark closet and water them regularly. When the
seedlings have reached the height of about 4 cm, remove them from the closet. Observe
the plants.
3. Place two cups side by side such that each side of the two cups is partly illuminated by
light.
4. Place another container in a place where it can be completely illuminated by light.
5. Continue to water the plants as necessary. Observe them for one week to note any
changes on the direction of their growth.
6. In another container near one side source of light. Set another container where the
seedlings will be illuminated evenly from all sides. Place the container on its side,
making sure that these seedlings also will be lit evenly from all sides. Place the fourth
container on its side and place it inside a dark closet. Continue to water the plants as
necessary as possible and observe them for one week to note any change on the direction
of their growth.

Results and Analysis

1. In the following spaces, describe the growth of the plants in each of the four conditions,
naming the stimulus (or stimuli) to which plants responded.
a. After exposure to one-sided illumination.
- Auxin starts to concentrate on the shaded side of the plant instead, causing the cells
on the sunny side stay the same size but the cells on the shaded side grow longer. This
causes the plant to tip and grow towards the light.
b. After exposure to uniform (even) illumination.
- Plants growing with an unshaded light source will grow straight up towards the sun
because auxin is evenly distributed all around the shoot. They also grew better than
other mongo seeds. The leaves are color green, , because the chloropyll absorbs all
sunlight that is why it has stronger color than other mongo.
c. After having been placed on one-sided and exposed to uniform illumination.
 - The plant from a one-sided illumination and then exposed to uniform illumination
grows good. The color is green due to the enough sunlight.
d. After having been placed on a side in a dark closet.
- Plants placed in a dark closet tend to grow long and thin to seek out a light source.
Since the light in the closet is limited, the plant don't produce chlorophyll.
2. To which stimuli did the four groups of mongo seedlings respond?
- It is phototropism which means that the plant or any other organism responds to light
direction or away to it. When a plant moves toward the light, it is called positive
tropism. When a plant moves away from the light, it is called negative tropism.

Conclusions

The ability of a plant to bend toward the light is call phototropism. Plants can actually tell
which direction the light is coming from and they have developed a number of strategies to
capture the maximum amount of sunlight through their leaves. They grow toward the
sunlight to be able to generate energy by photosynthesis.

The growth of plants toward light is particularly important at the beginning of their
lifecycle. Many seeds germinate in the soil and get their nutrition in the dark from their
limited reserves of sources. Reaching for the surface, the seedlings rapidly grow upwards
against the gravitational pull. With the help of highly sensitive light-sensing proteins, they
find the shortest route to the sunlight – and are even able to bend in the direction of the light
source.

Questions and Problems

1. How do plants respond to stimulus?

- Plants respond to different stimuli usually by showing growth responses, this
phenomena of responding is usually called as tropism. There are 5 types namely,
Phototropism: the growth response of a plant in response to light direction.
Chemotropism: the growth response of a plant to a particular chemical. Roots grow
toward useful minerals in the soil but away from acids.
Geotropism: the growth response of a plant in response to gravity.
Thigmotropism: the growth response of a plant to physical contact (touch).
Hydrotropism: the growth response of a plant to water.
2. How will you compare plants responses to animal responses to stimulus?
- Plants response to stimulus is done with the help of different chemical substance
called as plant hormones. Plants do not have brain and spinal cord unlike in animals.
Animals stimulus response is controlled by brain and spinal cord. It is done with the
help of electrical impulses generated by the nervous system as well as the hormones
secreted by the endocrine glands.
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