Sweet Potato Lab: Final Report

Purpose: 
The initial purpose was to compare the growth of two different sweet potatoes 
over a two month period. Now, the purpose is to examine the growth of an onion 
under similar circumstances. 
Procedure: 
1. Study the sweet potato-count (onion) and record the number of buds above 
and below the “equator” of the sweet potato (onion) 
2. Take 2 skewers, forks or multiple toothpicks and pass through the center of 
the potato at right angles to each other so that a cross results. 
3. Place over the container and add aged tap or spring water up to a few mm 
from the rim of the glass 
4. Set the sweet potato (onion) near a window (preferably south-facing, 70 
degrees). Keep water level constant and clear 
5. Take a photo of it (day = 0) 
6. Record observations of growth weekly and take a picture 
7. After 8 weeks (or as many weeks possible), prepare a data table that 
summarizes: 
● Date when first branches appeared 
● Total number branches formed 
● Average length of branch 
● Date roots appeared 
● Total number roots 
8. Prepare a bar graph summarizing results 
9. Prepare a bar graph showing average number of weeks until branches and 
roots were visible using class data 
Materials 
● Onion 
● 2 forks 
● Aged tap water 
● Glass/cup 

Week # observation images

Week 1 My onion has been in this form, in the water
for about four whole days now. After letting
the water age for 48 hours, I used two forks
to act as skewers to hold the onion upright,
just barely letting the bottom submerge in
the water. So far I see very small roots
sprouting but nothing substantial to call
progress yet. This is a fairly small onion so
I'm wondering if that could be contributing
to the rate of progress. I have it next to a
window so it's getting about eight hours of
direct sunlight per day.

Week 2 After about one week of the onions root

being submerged in water, I started to see
very minimal progress. There was one very
small root branching from the bottom of the
onion, about an inch long. If you look
closely you can see multiple, very small
roots surrounding the longer one. This was
after seven days in the water, with about
eight hours of sunlight per day.

Week 3 After about two and a half to three weeks of

my onion root being submerged in water, I
had astonishing progress. My onion has
now sprouted many branches from the
bottom, approximately a few dozen. At this
point in time, I still do not have any sprouts
at the top of the onion, therefore I do not
have any clones. At this point, slightly
above the root of the onion, outside the
water, there is some decay/mold around
the base of the onion.
My data:
Date # of roots
Start Date: 0
Nov. 28th

Dec. 1st 0

Dec. 5th 1

Dec. 8th 2

Dec. 10th 3.5

Dec. 13th 10

Dec. 15th 20

Dec. 16th 23
Average length of branch: 2.3 inches
Class Averages:

# wks until branches

appeared
5.5
# wks until roots
appeared
3.55
# potential
clones/stems
1.82
produced
Data Analysis and Conclusion

After 2-3 weeks of this lab, here is my data analysis and conclusion of the lab.
Since I started the lab pretty late, I never grew any potential clones or new sprouts. The average
number of clones that the class ended up with was 1.82, rounded up to about 2 clones. I
personally do not believe that this data is very reliable because the average includes multiple
students like myself, who started the experiment late, and did not get our full potential of results.
That being said, the fair share of students who had a clone, had started the experiment at the
correct time, so if all students were to have started the experiment at the exact same time, then
i'd believe that we would have reliable data. I think another reason that this data is not very
reliable, is because not everyone used a sweet potato. Some students like myself used a
different vegetable such as an onion, or head of garlic. If i were to restart this experiment, i
would have done a few things differently. First of all I would have started from when the
experiment was assigned, and second of all, I would have used a sweet potato to get more
accurate and relatable results and data. Cloning can be of economic importance because it can
help reduce time and resources. Cloning among produce can save farmers resources, and
money, while producing said produce at a faster rate. Cloning among livestock can be of
economic importance as well, by saving farmers resources and money, while producing at a
faster and smoother rate. Cloning among livestock, done right, can also produce healthier
offspring by creating an exact genetic copy of an existing animal.