On February 21, 140 surviving plants were transplanted to one-gallon pots using Pro Mix BX general purpose soil with mycorrhizae (Premier Horticultural Inc., Quakertown, PA) and treatment fertilizer was added (Osmocote Classic 14-14-14, Scotts-Sierra Horticultural Products Company, Marysville, OH). Treatment and fertilizer amount was randomized, 70 plants were assigned treatment and 70 were not. Half the plants in each treatment group received one teaspoon of fertilizer, the other half received two. After application of fertilizer, plants were put onto greenhouse bench and watered. Plants were watered daily.
Plant height was then recorded on surviving plants on March 7. Dead plants were discarded. Treatment of mechanical damage was done by cutting off half the new leaflets and one spray of 0.5mM solution of jasmonic acid in acetone was applied. Control received one spray of acetone and no mechanical damage. Plants were placed on a bench in the greenhouse for 14 days so treatment could take effect.
On March 21, herbivore preference was tested. One new leaf from the treatment group and one from the control, both having received the same amount of fertilizer, were put into a 15 cm petri dish with one tobacco hornworm Manduca sextaordered from Great Lakes Hornworm. There were 84 replicates of herbivore preference experiment. A photo of the leaves pre-hornworm was taken, then again after 18 hours of hornworm exposure. LeafByte was used to determine percentage of each leaf consumed. On March 28, height, root and shoot biomass were measured, and flowers per plant were counted.
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