After a couple of weeks of research, two objectives congealed right off the bat (well, three, but two immediate ones):
- I would have to find a way to reliably grow the duckweed... to last throughout the winter.
- I would have to assay the duckweed populations for d-glucose levels in order to determine which populations to cultivate.
- Then there was physically inducing sexual reproduction in the plants.
Both John Cross's website, The Charms of Duckweed (http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/growing-duckweed.htm) as well as Rutgers Duckweed Stock Cooperative's FAQ page have been incredibly helpful in addressing the first issue - I ended up ordering Sigma Aldrich's SCHENK AND HILDEBRANDT BASAL SALT mixture (S6765) which could be reconstituted to make 10L of growth media.
Number 2 posed a bit more of a challenge. I needed a legitimate starch assay kit - a simple Benedict's test would not be enough, because in order to determine percent starch in each sample, I would need something a bit more quantitative. The best deal I could find in the United States was Sigma Aldrich's Starch Assay Kit (STA20), which cost $129.50 per kit!
Luckily, my high school's Science Department Supervisor, Mrs. McLelland-Crawley, was there to the rescue!!!
She helped me big time; she applied for a grant and I wound up receiving an amount that would cover the cost of two of these kits! It was amazing. Now, I can finally order the necessary materials, and get started!
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