Pesticide Problems Abby Frazier and Cheyenne Riley Carlisle County FFA Purchase Region

Introduction “You are what you eat” as the old saying goes. What exactly are we eating when we consume products on the market shelves? Today farmers and growers employ many methods to increase production measures and basically feed the world. But is the food we eat safe due to these extreme measures being used? In this experiment we mimic the use of pesticides on plants to see if there was evidence of the pesticide found present in the produce at market time.

Methods Plants started in seed pods 6 weeks before final testing date Extract dye from sharpies by placing each in 100ML of water and stirring for 1 minute Next let sharpie sit in water for 15 minutes until the tip looks bleached out Remove markers when done Pour water into liter jar and add 900ML of water, this makes one liter of stock solution Allow plants to grow and water them with the solution

Methods When the plant produces leaves choose a leaf and grind with 2ML of regular water Look to see if the dye is present When plant produces product dissect and see if dye is present

Results Upon grinding of leaves in affected plants we determined that dye was present as it seeps out of the leaves into the clear water.

Results Upon dissection of product in affected plants we determined that dye was present as well.

Photos

Discussion Your conclusion… what did this project teach you, what did you learn! How does ADHD and other illness tie into the project

Literature Cited

Interview questions- DON’T PUT ON BOARD 1. How and why was the project selected? 2. What was your goal? What did you plan to accomplish in your project? 3. Were there any surprises in your project? How did you deal with them? 4. What did you learn from the experience? 5. How much time did you devote to your project? 6. What kept you from being discouraged? 7. How did you manage time for this project in relation to your other activities? 8. What would you advise others doing a project? What is the value of a project of this type? 9. How can your findings and conclusions be applied in the agriculture, food and natural resources industry?