Testing the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash - Do they Help One Another or Hinder
Location
CSU
Student's Major
Anthropology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Michael Scullin
Mentor's Department
Anthropology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
It is widely believed that the combination of com, beans, and squash (the three sisters of Native American gardening) when grown together are mutualistically supportive. Whether this is the case has not been demonstrated through field experiments using indigenous crops and planting techniques. This research will quantify any mutualistic effects of corn and beans using various tests and measurements of the plants and soil over the growing season of 2001. Cora and beans were grown in three test plots, both together and separately to provide samples for testing. Soil nitrogen was measured to determine if the beans were releasing nitrogen into the soil that the com could easily use. Light competition was measured to show the degree of productivity lost by shading of beans growing on corn or gain for beans climbing on cornstalks. Rhizobia bacteria, which associate with the roots of the beans and fix atmospheric nitrogen that the plant may use was tested with DNA fingerprinting to determine species that associate with these specific varieties and identify variation between treatments. Mycorrhizal fungi which infect roots of com were grown in culture to determine its presence and if it invaded bean roots to scavenge nitrogen for the com. Yield measurements at the end of the season were taken and analyzed for differences in production. The combination of all these data proved a more accurate estimation of what kind of relationship com, beans, and squash develop when grown in proximity and, if they are helping each other, how that happens.
Testing the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash - Do they Help One Another or Hinder
CSU
It is widely believed that the combination of com, beans, and squash (the three sisters of Native American gardening) when grown together are mutualistically supportive. Whether this is the case has not been demonstrated through field experiments using indigenous crops and planting techniques. This research will quantify any mutualistic effects of corn and beans using various tests and measurements of the plants and soil over the growing season of 2001. Cora and beans were grown in three test plots, both together and separately to provide samples for testing. Soil nitrogen was measured to determine if the beans were releasing nitrogen into the soil that the com could easily use. Light competition was measured to show the degree of productivity lost by shading of beans growing on corn or gain for beans climbing on cornstalks. Rhizobia bacteria, which associate with the roots of the beans and fix atmospheric nitrogen that the plant may use was tested with DNA fingerprinting to determine species that associate with these specific varieties and identify variation between treatments. Mycorrhizal fungi which infect roots of com were grown in culture to determine its presence and if it invaded bean roots to scavenge nitrogen for the com. Yield measurements at the end of the season were taken and analyzed for differences in production. The combination of all these data proved a more accurate estimation of what kind of relationship com, beans, and squash develop when grown in proximity and, if they are helping each other, how that happens.
