| Practicals |
Teaching topics |
Description |
Growing and sourcing |
Curriculum links |
 | Mung beans are cheap, reliable and easy to germinate, and offer a useful way to look at the germination process. |
Practicals
-
Plant growth: Using hydroponics to explore what plants need to grow. Resource: What do plants need to grow?
- Enzymes: Resource: Phosphatase enzymes in plants
- Enzymes: Resource: The effect of end product, phosphate, on the enzyme phosphatase
- Idea: Explore whether bean roots always grow downwards
- Idea: Investigate the effect of light on growing seedlings
- Idea: Investigate the effect of water on growing seeedlings
- Idea: Observing sprouting mung bean root hair cells
Teaching Topics
- Cells
- Plant Growth
- Plant Nutrition
- Hydroponics
Description
Mung Beans, Vigna radiata
Mung beans are legumes (members of the Fabaceae family), and are most commonly used in the UK for growing nutritious bean sprouts. Mung beans are annuals, growing up to about 1m in height. The first flowers
appear seven to eight weeks after planting and the
crop reaches maturity in 12 to 14 weeks. The mung bean plant comes originally from India, but is now widespread throughout the tropics.
Growing and sourcing
Obtaining: Buy fresh seeds from suppliers including Blades Biological. Seeds must be fresh to germinate.
Propagating: Germinate from seeds. This video demonstrates the germination of mung beans with both cotyledons and roots visible. As
demonstrated in the film, mung beans can be planted in a clear tank
using a seed compost to observe root formation.
Compost: Use a seed compost for germinating these seeds.
Light: Light is needed only once the cotyledons are ready to open. A windowsill is suitable.
Water: Keep damp without soaking.
Temperature: A warm room is suitable.
Feeding: There's no need to feed these seedlings.
Notes: Look out for signs of ‘Damping-off” in your seedlings.
Curriculum Links
GCSE
- OCR GCSE Biology B4(h) - Farming
- OCR GCSE Biology 3.4 Module B1 (g) - Controlling plant growth
- AQA GCSE Science A B1.2.3 - Control in plants
- Edexcel GCSE Biology 2.14 - Positive phototropism in shoots
- OCR GCSE Science B B1(g) - Controlling plant growth
- AQA GCSE Science B 3.3.2 - Life on our planet
- AQA GCSE Biology B2.1.1 - Cells and cell structures
A-level
- AQA AS/A2 Biology - The root hair cell practical could support 3.3.7 pathway of water from root hairs