Future Studies

1. Discussion • The data demonstrates that cobalt sulfate and vitamin B12 were both significantly more effective than water. • The presence of rhizobium did not affect plant growth. • The data also demonstrates that water significantly raised germination rates for the plants. • This supports the work of Gad and Kandil. • Limitations • Vitamin B12 had an outlier in each trial • Human error when measuring and planting seeds • Germination rates affected the overall mean growth Conclusion • Cobalt Sulfate was just as effective as Vitamin B12 in stimulating plant growth. • Both Cobalt Sulfate and Vitamin B12 lowered germination rates for the plants. • Cobalt Sulfate is unhealthy for the microorganisms that live in the soil. • The data supports the alternate hypothesis. Future Studies • Use other leguminous plants that produce food: • Beans • Chemically analyze seeds • Determine the effects on the nutritional value of plants • Different concentrations of solution could be used http://www.energyfarms.net/files/images/peas.jpg Bibliography Bhuvaneswari, T. V., et. al. "Transient Susceptibility of Root Cells in Four Common Legumes to Nodulation by Rhizobia." Plant Physiology 68 (1981): 1144-149. Bloemberg, Guido V., and Ben J. Lugtenberg. "Molecular basis of plant growth promotion and biocontrol by rhizobacteria." Current Opinion in Plant Biology 4 (2001): 343-50. Elhuyar Fundazioa. "Drought Reduces Nitrogen-fixing In Legumes." ScienceDaily 4 February 2005. 3 November 2008. El-Sheekh, M. M. "Effect of cobalt on growth, pigments and the photosynthetic electron transport in Monoraphidium minutum and Nitzchia perminuta." Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology 15 (2003): 159-66. Gad, Nadia, and M. A. Atta-Aly. "Effect of Cobalt on the Formation, Growth and Development of Adventitious Roots in Tomato and Cucumber Cuttings." Journal of Applied Sciences Research 2 (2006): 423-29. Gad, Nadia. "Increasing the Efficiency of Nitrogen Fertilization Through Cobalt Application to Pea Plant." Research Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences 2 (2005): 433-42. Gaunt, John K., and Bruce B. Stowe. "Analysis and Distribution of Tocopherols and Quinones in the Pea Plant." Plant Physiology 42 (1967): 851-58. Kandil, Hala. "Effect of Cobalt Fertilizer on Growth, Yield and Nutrients Status of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Plants." Journal of Applied Sciences Research 3 (2007): 867-72. Kliewer, Mark, and Harold J. Evans. "Identification of Cobamide Coenzyme in Nodules of Symbionts & Isolation of the B12 Coenzyme From Rhizobium meliloti." Plant Physiology 38 (1963): 55-59. Martens, J. H. et. al. "Microbial production of vitamin B12." Applied microbiology and biotechnology 58 (2002): 275-85. Miller, Carlos O. "The Influence of Cobalt and Sugars upon the Elongation of Etiolated Pea Stem Segments." Plant Physiology 29 (1954): 79-82. Miller, Richard E., and Robert T. Tarrant. "Long-term Growth Response of Douglas-fir to Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer." Annals of Forest Science 29 (1983): 127-37. Mylona, Panagiota, et. al. "Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation." The Plant Cell 7 (1995): 869-85. Sandalio, L. M., and Et al. "Cadmium-induced Changes in the Growht and Oxidative Metabolism of Pea Plants." Journal of Experimental Biology 52 (2001): 2115-126. Zhang, Feng, et al. "Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria and Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Nodulation and Nitrogen Fixation at Suboptimal Root Zone Temperatures." Annals of Botany 77 (1996): 453-59 http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=pisa6