Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Plants on the Move: Phototropism
A plant biology science fair project exploring how various levels of light affect plant growth. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a section on...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ides: Propagate Plants Without Using Seeds!
This plant biology science fair project that explores factors involved in successful propagation of plants using plant division instead of seeds. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract,...
University of Maryland
University of Maryland: Plant Biology
A webpage for a course on plant biology for non-science majors. The course covers how plants function, diversity among plants, and the roles of plants in the environment. Site includes lectures, a plant project, and a sample exam.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Rad Radishes: Irradiation on Seed Germination
In this plant biology science fair project, students will investigate effects of irradiation on seed germination. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Using Plants to Determine Direction
Don't get lost in the woods. In this plant biology science fair project, students will investigate whether the location of moss growth on trees is a good way to determine cardinal direction. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Planting Size vs. Depth
Plants have evolved many clever mechanisms to ensure that their seeds will wait for appropriate conditions before sprouting. Some may only germinate after a fire, others only after going through a cold spell. This project explores one...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Cryopreservation: Freezing Plant Tissues
Cryopreservation-storing seeds in ultra-cold liquid nitrogen-is one method for maintaining plant genetic stocks in seed banks. The purpose of this project is to observe the characteristics and outcomes of cryogenically frozen seedlings...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch: Plant Hormone Ethylene
We have all heard the old saying, "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch." Due to the production of the plant hormone ethylene during the ripening process, this saying proves true. This experiment will investigate the role of ethylene in...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Hydrogen Peroxide on Plant Root Cuttings & Seed Germination
Hydrogen peroxide (often used as a disinfectant) has also been approved for use in pesticides. This science fair project investigates whether hydrogen peroxide has any effects on seed germination or on roots of plant cuttings.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Grow Fungi That Fires at Light Sources
In this science fair project, grow a culture of Pilobolus fungus and experiment with its ability to shoot spore sacs at light sources. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Reveal the Red: Exploring the Chemistry of Red Flower Pigments
Are all reds the same? Find out in this science fair project. Investigate if the pigments in one type of red flower are different from those in another type of red flower. Flowers contain an assortment of amazing chemicals that produce...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Toxic Trees: Just How Toxic Is That Black Walnut Tree?
The goal of this plant biology science fair project is to make and test an herbicide made from the leaves of the black walnut tree and investigate the toxicity of black walnut trees.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Suck It Up: Capillary Action of Water in Plants
We know that plants, and even bouquets of cut flowers need water to survive, but we often do not think about how water moves within a plant. In this science project, you will use colored water and carnations to discover how water travels...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: It's Raining, It's Pouring: Chemical Analysis of Rainwater
Here is an interesting project that could be approached from several different scientific angles: Environmental Science, Weather & Atmosphere, Chemistry, or Plant Biology. You can probably think of your own variations to emphasize...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: It's Crowded in Here! A Study of Plant Population Density
Like humans, plants can be negatively affected by overcrowding. Unlike humans, plants cannot get up and move to a new environment or explore how to utilize new resources. This experiment will explore the effects of crowding (population...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Radiant Radish Seeds
We all know that plants need sunlight and water to grow big and tall. But did you know that inside seeds are baby plants, and that the fragile baby plant inside the seed needs to be protected? If you've ever had a sunburn, you also know...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Gone With the Wind: An Experiment on Seed and Fruit Dispersal
If you have ever made a wish and blown the fluff of a dandelion, you have witnessed how some plants are adapted to spreading their seeds using the wind. The tiny, furry parachute allows the seeds to be picked up by the wind and to be...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: What Color Are the Leaves Really Turning?
Everyone loves the beautiful colors of fall, but where they come from and how they change color is a mystery. In this project, you will uncover the hidden colors of fall by separating plant pigments with paper chromatography.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Do Roots Grow When the Direction of Gravity Changes?
You might not know it, but plants are able to sense their environment and actually respond appropriately. One of the key parameters that every plant must respond to is the direction of gravity: stems go up (opposite to the pull of...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Vines & Spines: Thigmotropism in Morning Glory Tendrils
We tend to think of plants as immobile, but the tendrils of a vine, such as the morning glory, actually move in response to touch. Tendrils wrap around structures, which give the plant something to grow on. In this science fair project,...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Leaves and Light
Leaves use sunlight to make food for the plant. Sunlight contains all of the colors of the rainbow, but are all of those colors used by the leaf? Can you find out if some colors of light are more important than others?
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Attack of the Killer Cabbage Clones
Do you like to watch outdated science fiction and cheesy horror movies? Many fictional tales of cloned organisms have been created based upon the scientific method for cloning animals or plants. In the real world, the cloning of plants...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Earthworm Castings: Soil for Young Garden Plants
Everybody knows that worms are good for the soil, but not everybody knows why. Here's a project that investigates just one of the ways earthworms improve the earth.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Weeds Be Gone! Experiment That Affect Roundup Weed Killer
Experiment with factors that affect the activity of the weed killer Roundup. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a section on terms, concepts, and...