Exploring Photosynthesis with Fast Plants
Students use leaf discs to investigate the effects of gas exchange during photosynthesis. An easy experiment appropriate for middle and high school classrooms. Special materials: baking soda, 5 cc. syringe tube (no needle), 5-day-old Fast Plants. Source: Wisconsin Fast Plants.

Isolation of Fast Plant Chloroplasts
Students can make a chloroplast suspension from Fast Plant leaf tissue to determine the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll. An experiment of moderate difficulty appropriate for college and advanced high school students. Special materials: centrifuge, spectrophotometer, 7 day-old Fast Plants. Source: Medfield High School.

The Hill Reaction
Students can examine the Hill reaction of photosynthesis using a chloroplast suspension prepared from Fast Plant leaf tissue. This experiment has a moderate level of difficulty, and is appropriate for high school students. Special materials: centrifuge, spectrophotometer, 5-day-old Fast Plants. Source: Medfield High School.

Influencing the Rate of Photosynthesis
Using the activity on the Hill Reaction, students can examine the effects of various environmental conditions on the rate of photosynthesis. Students can grow Fast Plants under different levels of light, temperatures, levels of carbon dioxide, or anything else of interest to students. A chloroplast suspension can then be used to determine the rate of the Hill reaction in the plants under the varying conditions. Remember to use controls and to isolate the variable by changing only one environmental condition at a time. This activity is moderately difficult and is recommended for advanced high school and college students. Special materials: spectrophotometer. Source: Medfield High School.

Leaf Color and Photosynthetic Rate
Using the procedure outlined in the activity Isolation of Fast Plant Chloroplasts, students can extract chloroplasts from different plant stocks. Three suggested stocks are variegated (white and green), yellow-green, and standard plants. By measuring the Hill reaction, students can determine whether or not the color of leaves (i.e., amount of green) influences photosynthesis. This activity is moderately difficult, and is most appropriate for advanced high school and college students. Special materials: spectrophotometer. Source: Medfield High School.

Testing for Starch in Fast Plants
It is possible to observe the starch granules in Fast Plant leaves by boiling them in water for 2 minutes, boiling them in a 90% ethanol solution for 1 minute, and then staining them with an iodine solution. This is a moderately difficult experiment appropriate for middle and high school students. Special materials: hot plate, 90% ethanol solution, iodine, 10-day-old Fast Plants. Source: Medfield High School.

"Which Has More Starch, Standard or Variegated?
Students can investigate the difference in starch levels between the standard and variegated stocks of Fast Plants. Following the Testing for Starch in Fast Plants procedures, select variegated leaves that are at least 50% white and compare the results to those achieved with standard all-green leaves. Compare the location and amount of starch. This is a moderately difficult experiment appropriate for middle and high school students. Special materials: hot plate, 90% ethanol solution, iodine, 10-day-old standard Fast Plants, 10-day-old variegated Fast Plants. Source: Medfield High School.

The Effect of Gibberellin on Rosette Plants
Plants of the rosette stock are deficient in gibberellin. Students can explore the effects of a plant growth hormone (gibberellic acid) on the seed and emerged plants of this stock. This experiment can also demonstrate noninheritance of acquired characteristics. An easy experiment appropriate for middle and high school students. Special materials: gibberellic acid (100 ppm solution), 7-day-old Fast Plants.

The Effects of Stressful Environments on the Response to Gibberellic Acid
Students cab investigate the rosette stock's response to treatment with GA under stressful growing conditions such as acid rain, salt pollution, high temperatures or excess carbon dioxide. Remember to grow and treat a control set of plants raised under normal growing conditions. This is a moderately difficult experiment appropriate for high school students. Source: Medfield High School.

Geotropic Responses of Roots
Seeds are germinated on damp filter paper in petri dishes that are left overnight resting at a 45° angle. Students can make observations and measurements of the root growth angle. This is an easy activity for middle and high school students. Special materials: plastic petri dishes, filter paper, Fast Plants seed. Source: Wisconsin Fast Plants.

Demonstrating a Plant's Response to Gravity
Fourteen-day-old Fast Plants will quickly demonstrate gravitropic responses when left in a horizontal position. Students should be encouraged to design experiments to convince themselves that the plant is responding to gravity and not to some other environmental influence such as light. This is an easy experiment appropriate for middle and high school students. Source: Wisconsin Fast Plants.

"Do Fast Plants Prefer The Blues?"
Germinate Fast Plants seed inside a black film can with three colored "windows" so that students can determine which wavelengths of light your Fast Plants prefer. The windows can be made by making holes in the can with a hand-held hole punch and covering each hole with a different color of translucent mylar. This activity is moderately difficult due to the demands of the set-up, and is appropriate for high school students. Special materials: black film cans, colored mylar, hole punch. Source: Wisconsin Fast Plants.