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Researched by Nicholas
A.
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Purpose
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of Vitamin A on plants exposed to acid rain. I became interested in this idea when I read about acid rain being a great danger to our plants today. The information gained from this experiment could help gardeners and anyone growing plants help protect their plants from acid rain.
Hypothesis
My hypothesis was that Vitamin A would protect radish plants from acid rain. I base my hypothesis on sources that that state that Vitamin A is essential in the development of babies before birth and the growth of children. It says Vitamin A that build resistance to infection.
Experiment Design
The constants in this study were the radish plants, amount and kind of water on the plants, growing time for each plant, light, type and amount of soil applied to each cup, the temperature of the room, and the type of grow light. The first manipulated variable was the amount of acid (pH balance) in each groups water. Another one was whether plants were given Vitamin A or no Vitamin A. The responding variable was the growth of the plants after 5 weeks. To measure the responding variable I used a ruler and measure the height of the plants in millimeters.
Materials
| Quantity | Item Description |
| 60 | Vitamin A caplets (8400 iu’s) |
| 48 | radish seeds (red type) |
| 5760 ml. | pure water |
| 1 | bag of potting soil |
| 1 | grow light |
| 48 | plastic cups (8 oz) |
| 1 | surenge |
| 1 | measuring cup |
| 1 | package pH paper |
| 1 | space heater |
| 1 | mm. ruler |
| 2 | saw horses |
| 1 | square board (holds 48 plants) |
| 1 | black marking pen |
| 1 | metric thermometer |
| 2 | 18 cm. tall wood blocks |
Procedures
Gathering the materials
1. Get 48 plastic cups put them in 8 groups of 6.
2. Label one group A, one B, one C, one D, one E, one F, one G, and
one H.
3. Fill the cups 1 cm. from the top with commercial grade potting soil.
4. Stand 2 saw horses up in an indoor room and put the square board
on it.
5. Put a grow light on the board and then slide an18 centimeter block
of wood under each end of it.
Starting Experiment
6. Place 1 radish seed (red type) in each cup about 2 cm under soil.
7. Then set the cups under the fluorescent grow light.
8. Put a space heater on the floor of the room with the plants if needed
(plants should be grown at 15.6* C, 60* F).
9. Take a thermometer and make sure the soil temperature is approximately
15.6* C (60* F).
10. Mix 12 vitamin A caplets with 720 ml water and apply 30 ml to each
plant in groups b, d, f, and h, on Sunday in the morning around 9:00 am.
11. Pour 720 ml water into a measuring cup. Put 30 ml on each
plant in groups a, c, e, and g, on Sunday in the morning around 9:00 am.
12. Repeat step 10 and 11 for 3 weeks.
13. Then apply 10ml acid rain with a plastic surenge to each plant
that is supposed to receive it.
14. Repeat steps 10 and 11 for 2 more weeks.
Testing Results
15. Cut the plants off where the stem meets the dirt.
16. Take a millimeter ruler and measure the plants.
17. Record the height of each plant as you measure.
Results
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of Vitamin A on plants exposed to acid rain. The results of the experiment were that the average height of the plants treated with Vitamin A were smaller than the ones that weren’t. The group with the tallest plants was the control group (no Vitamin A and no Acid). The group with the shortest plants was the one treated with both Vitamin A and acid rain level three (pH 4.5).
Conclusion
My hypothesis was that Vitamin A would protect the radish plants from acid rain. The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected. The results indicate that Vitamin A doesn’t protect radish plants from acid rain. Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the amount of Vitamin A I used was too much for the radish plants. If I were to conduct this project again I would use more plants and monitor the time the grow light was on more closely. I would also measure the soil temperature more often.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the following people who made my science project possible and better. I thank Mr. Newkirk for getting the acid rain I used on my plants and for staying after school so I could work on my science project. I thank Mr. Newkirk for also letting me borrow the digital camera to take pictures of my experiment.
I thank my mom for watering my plants when I was gone and thank for picking me up after I was done working. I also thank my mom for picking me up after school when I had supplies for my experiment that I needed to bring home.
I thank my parents for paying for my display board and other supplies.
I thank my dad for letting me use one of his books on acid rain for my research and for picking me up after school when I had equipment that I needed to bring home for my experiment.
I thank Mrs. Pasckvale for going down to the activity room and unlocking all of the cabinets so I could find some equipment for my experiment.
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