A Matter of Selection, Aidan

The first thing we noticed when looking at our Brassica Oleracea were the differences in height and leaves. When our plants were still growing the leaves were smooth and aligned up the middle of the stem. Now the plants leaves are waxy and rough. The end of the leaf curls and touches the stem now. This is because as the plants grew the leaves grew as well. The leaves curl to get more exposure to the sun. The height of the stem at the begging of the semester was .5 ft and now they measure up to 1.6 ft.

I feel that the reason why Brassica Oleracea have been so successful in reproducing and staying alive for this long is through selective breeding. Selective breeding is when humans choose specific traits to pass on to new generations. Because of this only the best traits have been passed down. Brassicas now produce food such as cabbage broccoli and spinach which are all beneficial to us. This could also be considered artificial selection because the babies are not produced naturally. This way natural variation does not happen. Natural variation is not bad but it does open up the opportunity for detrimental mutations to corrupt the plant.

The part of the plant that changed the least is the stem. The reason being was the stem has the same function throughout its entire life and it was developed when the plant was first developed. Its purpose is to transport nutrients from the roots to the upper areas of the plant. Most stems grew around a foot.

Plant breeders would have to find 2 adult plants that have the specific trait that the breeder wants to see consistently throughout their population. Then they would have to take the pollen from one plant and put it on the pistol of another plant. They would have to know if the trait was dominant or recessive if they want it to spread out more efficiently.