Microbiology Science Projects

We all seem to think of microorganisms as something bad, because they are bacteria and germs.  Did you know that a lot of these are helpful to us, and some are totally important and essential to life.  These organisms are used to fight pesky insects, weeds and some diseases.  We wouldn’t be able to grow some crops because of all the weeds that would be around if it wasn’t for these microorganisms.  Also our livestock would have diseases.  Other microorganisms are in the soil and allow nutrients to get through to feed plants that eventually become out food.

So here is a science project question:

What will happen to a plant if there are no organisms in the soil?  Will it grow?

Go get some good dirt/soil from your yard, a field or even a garden and separate it into two portions.  Put one into an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  This will destroy the microorganisms.  Let the soil cool then take 3 pots and put the baked soil into it and another 3 pots and put the fertile dirt in those.  Now plant seeds in each soil pot.  Make sure to put the same number of seeds in each pot.  You must take care of each pot the same while testing this.  They all have to have the same amount of light, be in the same location and get the same amount of water.  I would use a measuring cup to make sure they all got exactly the same.  They should be drained in the same way also.  They all need the same temperature.  Keep a log daily.  Which pots germinate first.  Which ones grow the fastest.  What differences are in the baked soil pots compared to the untouched dirt pots?  Before you start this make a hypothesis about if you think they seeds will do better in the baked or non baked soil and why.  See if your hypothesis is correct.

Science Project #2 in microbiology:

Are some plants affected differently depending on certain organisms in the soil?

There are microorganisms that make partnerships with each other to grow more efficiently.  Some bacteria can make a nitrogen fertilizer naturally for plants such as the legume family.  These are peas and soybeans.  This beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria can be purchased from a garden supply store or over the internet. 

For the experiment get about 8 to 12 pots.  Get the same legume seed for all so that we can have a control factor and get a non-legume plant seed (again the same kind of seed) and plant legume seeds in 2 pots without the bacteria and plant non-legume seeds in 2 pots without bacteria.  Now plant legume seeds in 2 pots with the bacteria and plant non-legume seeds in 2 pots with the bacteria. 

Now keep a chart and record daily.  Make sure all pots get the same amount of water, light, temperature and same location at all times.