The Effect of Iron on Bean Plants

Researched by Oracio V.
2000-01
Purpose

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of iron on the growth of bean plants.

I became interested in this idea because my family has a garden and I like to help out. I just thought that it would be fun to do a plant project.

The information gained from this experiment might help farmers grow better beans to sell to their customers.

Hypothesis

My hypothesis was bean plants with two to four drops of chelated iron would grow taller than ones with less than two or more than four.

I base my hypothesis on information that was given to me by an Agriculture Extensive Agent, Dana Faubion, who said, "There are lots of plants that can take in iron, but some plants just die."

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Experimental Design

The constants in this study were:

  •  Seeds
  •  Pots
  •  Amount of water
  •  Light amount
  •  Temperature
  •  Type of plant
  •  Soil
  •  Amount of soil


The manipulated variable was the amount of iron drops in the water.

The responding variable will be the plant height at the end of four weeks.

To measure the responding variable I will measure the height of the plant every week with a metric ruler.

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Materials
QUANTITY  ITEM DESCRIPTION
4  Plastic Pots 
20cc  Water
1 Meter Stick
1  Scale
200g  Potting Soil Commercial
1  Fluorescent Grow Light
20-30 Seeds Beans
4 Plastic Pots
1  Bottle of Chelated Iron
1  25ml Syringe

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Procedures

1. Gather all of the materials.
2. Get four plastic pots with a hole in the bottom of each.
3. Fill each pot with 200 g of commercial potting soil.
4. Plant nine bean seeds in each pot according to package directions.
5. Get four gallon milk jugs and fill each with tap water.
6. Label each jug A, B, C, and D
7. Put eight drops of chelated iron in jug A.
8. Put four drops of chelated iron in jug B.
9. Put six drops of chelated iron in jug C
10. The last jug (D) is the controlled group. It will have no drops of iron.
11. Place pots under a fluorescent grow light.
12. Turn that light on at least twelve hours a day.
13. Water plants once a day (in the morning) using 20cc of water.
14. Use the chelated iron on the plants once every week.
15. Measure the growth of plants every week with centimeters.
16. Measure the plants height and keep track in a science journal.
17. Do this for at least four weeks.
18. Compare the plants growth.

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Results

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of iron on plant growth.

The results of the experiment were that the beans that received four drops of iron grew taller than the plants that received 0, 2, or 6 drops of iron.

See the table and graph.

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Conclusions

My hypothesis was the bean plants with two to four drops of chelated iron would grow taller than the plants with less than two or more than four drops of iron.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be accepted, because the plant with four drops of iron grew the tallest.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the plants would have grown better if I had watered each plant every day. I also wonder if I would get the same results with a different type of bean. Would they grow the same with a different species of plants? 

If I were to conduct this project again I would plant more seeds in each pot. I would have more trials, and had more groups of plants. I also would have kept the grow light on them for a longer period of time, and give the plants a longer growth time.

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RESEARCH REPORT
 

INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is important to our health and happiness. It helps us get the nutrients that we need into our bodies. It helps mass-produce plants used for food and other products like clothes. Iron and Zinc are needed by plants, as are other nutrients.
 

Plants
Plants are living things that are not animals. Most plants have a stem, roots, and leaves. Many plants are edible. There are two kinds of plants. Monocotyledons are a type of flowering plant that has only one cotyledon. The flower part usually grows in multiples of three. There are over 40,000 species of monocotyledons, including bananas, pineapples, and corn. The other kind of plant is called a dicotyledon. Dicotyledons are a type of flowering plant that has two cotyledons. Some types of dicotyledons are beans, peas, and tomatoes.
 

Bean Plants
Beans are part of the pea family. There are many kinds of edible bean plants. Some of them are kidney, Lima, pinto, green, string, soybean, and wax bean. They take 7 to 10 days to germinate. Humans consume them and so do many animals. Beans will produce young shoots almost as soon as they are watered. Bean plants "breathe" through their leaves. Bean plants grow rapidly. If a bean plant doesn't get enough sunlight it will "faint." Beans have compound leaves. Each leaf is made up of three leaflets. Most beans have bean pods.
 

Minerals
Minerals are the most common solid materials found on the Earth. The are about 3,000 different minerals. Some minerals are gold, copper, and silver. Rocks on the earths surface are also made up of minerals. Minerals are used for many things. Graphite is for the lead in pencils, cement for buildings and roads, and fertilizers for lawns and gardens. Zinc is a mineral that is a shiny bluish white metal. Its important in industry. Plants and animals need zinc for normal growth and healing. Iron is the cheapest most useful metal. Its in our clothes, food, and in our homes. Plants and animals need iron for health and growth.
 

Agriculture
Agriculture is the worlds most important industry. It provides people with all their food. It also provides people with materials for shelter, medicine, and clothing. Agriculture is the worlds oldest industry. It developed over 11,000 years ago. Before the development of agriculture, people had to gather and hunt for their food. Farmers provide almost all our food, including the fish and animals that we eat.
 

SUMMARY
Bean plants rich in iron and zinc develop greener leaves. They are also more nutritious for humans to eat. If farmers found a way to grow vegetables that were richer in vitamins and nutrients people would buy them. It would bring more business to agriculture.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY 

"Beans," Encarta. 2001

Beaver, Donald. "Iron," The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998. vol. 10. p. 452

Dielt, Ulla "The Plant and Grow Book." New York; Sterling Publishing, 1992, p. 6-8, 45-47

DiMichele, William. "Plants," The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998. vol. 15. p. 544

Fetzer, Scott. "Beans," The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998. P. 325-326

Hershey, David R.  Plant Biology Science Project. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1995. P. 36, 99
 

 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for their help with my science project:
 

  •  I thank my mom for buying the plants, pots, and soil that I needed for my project. My mom made a special effort to drive me everywhere that I needed to go. She took me to develop my pictures.
  •  I thank Mr. Newkirk for staying after school which allowed me extra time to work on my project.
  •  I thank Dana Faubian for giving me information on bean plants through E-mail. 
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