The purpose of the bioassay is to study the impact of the different soil samples from Loyola's green roofs on the growth of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. We germinated the Zea mays before planting it in the conetainers of soil, and had to replant a couple on September 3rd as they had not yet sprouted. I took note of which samples those were, and now most of the samples look healthy and strong.
It's been so fun to watch these guys grow up! I will post more detail about the qualities of plants of different roots soon-as they are all the same species of plant, it is pretty easy to see subtle differences in the leaves and size of the individual samples. With the opening of the new Institute of Environmental Sustainability that houses our research lab, it's been a little chaotic to gather a lot of data!
Beyond watching the bioassay, we have been working to add more data elements to the data sheets we have been creating all summer regarding the different green roofs. As with all science, there is much to do and so many great ideas of things we can do, but time also flies by!
In the words of one of my favorite scientific creatives, Albert Einstein, " If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?"
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