The purpose of this project is to find out if ion channel blockers effect gravatropism. Gravatropism is a plant's response to gravity. I think that when added to a plant's root, ion channel blockers will make it grow straight and the same will happen if the root is cut. If the root is not cut, the root will naturally grow downward, unless they are treated with either of the blockers.

To start this experiment, I first dipped yellow corn seeds into a 10% bleach solution that I had made from distilled water and bleach. Then, I rinsed them and soaked them in distilled water for about two days. I then placed them in a petri dish that I had made, on a paper clip. I then placed a sterile cotton ball that had been wet with distilled water. Then, after I repeated the step for the other paper clip and the rest of the dishes, I covered the dish with a piece of filter paper and a cover. Next, I placed the dishes on a wooden stand for 4 to 7 days or until the seeds had grown roots. I then I turned the dish 90 degrees and either cut off the root tip or left it alone. To each group, cut or uncut, I add either an agar block (made of 4% non-nutrient agar), a Nifedipine blocker block, a Verapamil channel blocker block, or nothing at all. The group I left alone was my control. In about 18 hours, I started to see results and I recorded them. I performed this procedure three times, but the first time I did not cut or place agar or the blockers on the roots.

In both experiments, the uncut groups all turned from an average of 93 to 100. This included the agar blocks and the controls but did not include the blocker treated group. In both experiments, roots treated with the blockers did not respond to gravity as well as the control and control agar groups. In the cut groups, the gravitational response was very little because the angles averaged around 180. This was true for all the cases, even those treated with the blockers. My results do support my hypothesis which was, "I think that the uncut roots will respond to gravity unless they are treated with the channel blockers. I also think that cut roots will not respond to gravity, including those treated with Nifedipine and Verapamil."