Ward's® Tobacco Mosaic Virus Inoculation Lab Activity

Safely Study the Effects of Viral Transmission

• Explore viral damage to living plant organism
• Discuss applications for viral-induced genetic engineering
• Materials for 50 lab groups
• Time Required: ~90 minutes over several weeks

Students will grow their own bean plants and then inoculate them with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) that they will prepare in class from cigarette tobacco extracts. They will compare the effects of extracts prepared in distilled water versus milk to a control in order to determine if any potential inhibitory properties for TMV exist. Students will determine this by observing the quantity of lesions that develop over time in areas treated with each extract. Enough materials for 50 groups of students are supplied.