Times were diffi cult in Habersham County. Th e skyrocketing prices of fuel and food were threatening to
bankrupt the Johnson family’s small farm, which was no match for the multi-million-dollar mega-farms
that had been popping up all over the southeast. Joseph, the family patriarch, was especially troubled by the
farm’s fi nancial circumstances. He knew that this year’s corn crop was his best chance to save the farm, and
his distress was evident to his family as they sat around the dinner table.
“Michael, I’m going to need your help tomorrow,” Joseph said to his eldest son. “I have to go into town to
pick up a part for the combine so I can fi x it before it’s time to harvest in a few months. I need you to spread
the potash and phosphate on the corn because we’re expecting some rain by the end of the week.”
Michael, his mouth full of fried chicken, nodded in agreement. He wasn’t all that interested in farming,
which over the years had been a point of contention between him and his father. At the moment Michael
was thinking more about the time he’d be missing with his friends, but he also realized how vital this chore
was to his father and the farm. “I’ll do it right after school, Dad,” he replied.
Th e following afternoon, Michael was loading heavy bags of fertilizer into the drop spreader on the farm
tractor. His father’s cheerless demeanor the previous evening weighed heavily on him. Michael knew that
bags of the potassium and phosphorous-based fertilizer was the normal load to cover the acres of corn
the family had planted that spring. But as he was emptying the th bag into the spreader, an idea fl ashed
through his mind: “If we need a good corn crop to make it, maybe I should add a little extra fertilizer.”
Michael decided that some extra fertilizer couldn’t hurt, so he quickly loaded extra bags. He was certain
that adding the extra fertilizer would produce a massive crop when it came time to harvest in a few months.
Michael hadn’t told his father about the extra fertilizer he’d added to the corn, wanting to see his father’s
surprise over the size of the harvest in a few months. As expected, the rain started Friday afternoon; Michael
was certain it would start an incredible growth spurt in the newly fertilized, young corn plants and that
his family would hit pay dirt in a few months. He was out of bed early on Saturday morning, taking his
four-wheeler down to the cornfi elds. He expected to see a vibrant green sea of young corn, extra healthy due
to the fertilizer “boost” he had given them. His stomach dropped a bit as he stared out at a fi eld of sickly
looking corn plants, their leaves pale green and slightly wilting. “Maybe it rained too hard and that beat the
plants up a little,” thought Michael, trying to be optimistic. “I’ll check on them again in a few days. I’m sure
they’ll have perked up by then!”
Th e next few days didn’t bring the results Michael was hoping for. Th e corn plants looked even worse! Th e
leaves were beginning to yellow signifi cantly and were continuing to wilt. Having watched his father grow
corn for most of his years, Michael knew this crop wasn’t going to make it. A lump was forming in his
throat as he made his way back to the house, not sure how to tell his father about the corn.
“Osmosis Is Serious Business!” by Troy R. Nash Page
Questions
. What sort of environment (hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic) did the extra fertilizer create around the
roots of the corn?
. Keeping in mind your answer to the previous question, what do you believe caused the corn plants to
wilt and eventually die?
. If Michael’s mistake had been caught earlier, is there anything that could have been done to prevent the
corn from dying?
. Generally, people water their plants with % H2
O—no solutes added. What sort of environment
does this create around the roots of the plant?
. Briefl y explain why plants generally thrive in this sort of environment
Sample Solution