X-Ray Datura Experiments
I exposed some Datura pollen to x-rays and pollinated some flowers as soon as they opened with the pollen. I just collected pollen using a pollinating brush set the head into the mutagenesis chamber's germplasm ring and turned it on. I set the voltage to 3vdc (which runs into a HV taser type unit) and let it run for 5 minutes (9/19/2019). I used a cut up boba straw to create rings to mark the ~8 flowers I pollinated with the x-ray pollen.
I'm trying to come up with a way to easily test the amount of poisonous alkaloids and see if I can find a mutant with less/no dangerous alkaloids.
Here are some pictures:
- About 3 pods formed (or formed that retained their markers, I found that some markers had fallen off)
- A couple pods didn't form, but retained their tag
- I put bags around the pods in order to collect the seeds, I'd use a cheese cloth or something instead.
- Here's the seed exactly 2 months after pollination about to be spread out and dried
- Seeds all dried
01/11/2020
Planted the seeds in "Planter's Pride" Pellets made with compressed coconut coir. They expand when you soak them in water, I planted 10 with seeds I'm sure were from x-ray pollen flowers, and then the last 5 were questionable ones. I have then under the growlight where I grew the fast plants.
02/02/2020
Just noticed this one germinated:
I was about to mix up some gibberellic acid solution too!
02/08/2020
Another germinated today, after a blast or two of 50ppm GA3 a couple days ago. This was one of the late opening pod seeds. I need to figure out a way to mark them, I have some 1x1 inch labels I can laser print easily, maybe something with that and a toothpick?
2/24/2020
The 4th seed germinated today, I've just used a sharpie to label them "A" through "D" so far. X is for x-ray and ? is the questionable pod.
Here's a list of germination dates (I will update as more sprout):
- A 02/02/20 (X)
- B 02/09/20 (?)
- C 02/12/20 (?)
- D 02/23/20 (?)
03/04/2020
Pictures:
No further germination, I've been adding water and keeping them under an LED grow light. Just recently added a few granules of osmocote fertilizer to the tray of seedlings that have sprouted. The short cotyledons were due to me pulling off the seed husk (oops!), "C" I've noticed is growing much slower and with a darker purple stem compared to the rest. I'm just starting to see secondary leaves while plant "D", 11 days younger, has begun on tertiary leaves as big as C's secondary ones now! So I have high hopes for plant C having some sort of special trait.
05/09/2020
I didn't get any more germination, and A through D are still growing and doing well. All of them are showing small flower buds:
Nothing really looks special, so I'm going to wait until we see some flowers (or something) before the next update.
10/02/2020
Plant A bloomed this evening, it's a bit smaller, but the plants are a bit smaller overall and have had a pretty tough season. The mother plant is sprawling though, I should dig it out and hope nothing more pops up, I don't the next owners getting poisoned or anything.
Tags: xray