Activity
Clover and nitrogen fixation
In this activity, students observe the colour inside the root nodules of clover (or other legume) to see if they are fixing nitrogen.
Clover nodules
A split clover nodule showing a reddish–pink colour inside – indicating nitrogen fixation is taking place.
Rights: Jim Deacon, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Edinburgh.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
explain nitrogen fixation
explain how clover and other legumes fix nitrogen
demonstrate whether a legume is fixing nitrogen or not.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
student handout.
Related content
In this video Dr Ross Monaghan describes the importance of clover in the farming industry because of its ability to fix nitrogen.
Published: 30 July 2013
