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The Effect of Water Acid Levels on the Growth of Radishes |
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Researched by Erika B.
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The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of water acid levels (pH) on the growth of radishes.
I became interested in this idea when I found an article in the newspaper on how acid rain affected a country and ruined their crops.
The information gained from this experiment could help society to understand ways that acid rain affects plants. This could act as a warning to people and prevent future problems.
My first hypothesis was that the radishes watered with a pH level of 3.0 would be most negatively affected.
My second hypothesis was that the radishes watered with a pH level of 6.0 would be least negatively affected.
I based my hypothesis on the fact that the lower the pH level, the higher the acid level. Acid rain is most severe when the acid level is highest and the pH is lowest.
The constants in this study were:
• The amount of soil in each container
• The type of soil used in each container
• The amount of water received
• The amount of light received
• The date planted
• The type of radish, cherry belle
• Growing temperature
• The date on the seed packet
The manipulated variable was the pH level of the water.
The responding variable was the radish growth.
To measure the responding variable at the end of my experiment, I pulled all of the radishes out of the soil, took off the excess soil, and weighed all of the radishes in the same pH group at the same time, and then I divided the weight by the number of radishes to find the average weight of a radish.
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
2 Planting trays containing 72 cubicles
1 Package of radish seeds
2 light fixtures
2 60-watt light bulbs
1 package potting soil
1 syringe
1 roll of masking tape
5 milliliters of water
1. Gather all materials
2. Make sure that the room temperature is at least 23.9 degrees Celsius
3. Place potting soil in each of the 72 individual containers until full
4. Place one radish seed in each container
5. Pour enough soil to cover each radish seed
6. Place lights 30 cm above the radish seed containers so that each radish seed gets the same amount of light.
7. Water soil until fully soaked, then allow to drain
8. Repeat step 7 on day 3
9. Measure the sprouting radishes
10. When the radishes reach a height of one centimeter use the masking tape to mark which containers get which PH level of water
11. Water each container with 5 milliliters of water with their marked acid level, do this every three days
12. Let the radish seeds grow for four weeks
13. Pull all of the radishes out of the soil, take off the excess soil, and weigh all of the radishes in the same pH group at the same time
14. Find the average for each radish by dividing the total weight of the radishes by the number of radishes in that category.
15. Record and compare the averages to find which plants were affected most by the water
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of water acid levels on the growth of radishes.
The results of the experiment were, pH 3 had an average of .044 grams, pH 4 had an average of .047 grams, pH 5 had an average of .052grams, and pH had an average of .068 grams. Therefore the lower the pH level the more the radishes were affected.
My first hypothesis was that the radishes watered with a ph level of 3 would be most negatively affected.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be accepted because the average weight for the pH 3 group was .044 grams which was less than that of the other pH levels averages.
My second hypothesis was that the radishes watered with a PH level of 6.0 would be least negatively affected.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be accepted because the average for this group was .068 grams which was higher than the other pH averages.
After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder if there could be a way to prevent the effects of acid rain on plants, or to prevent acid rain altogether.
If I were to conduct this project again I would have paid more attention to the amount of water being given, I would have done this project outside in the summer, and I would have had more radishes per group.
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Introduction Acid rain is a type of precipitation that is mixed with pollution in the air while it is vapor; it affects the plants, water, and air around us. Acid rain is a growing concern for the environment. Precipitation Rain is a form of precipitation. Other forms of precipitation include snow, sleet, hail, and dew. Rain is created when the heat of the sun evaporates the water off of the surface of the earth creating water vapor. Water vapor rises into the atmosphere where the vapors then form clouds. When the vapors in the cloud become too heavy they are released from the cloud to the surface below. By the time the raindrops reach the surface they may have evaporated. Rain can also begin as ice crystals that cling to each other to form large snowflakes. As the snowflakes pass into higher temperatures they melt and form rain. Hail is large frozen raindrops created in intense thunderstorms. If snow and rain are in the same storm the raindrops collect on the snowflakes and freeze forming large pieces of ice. If the ice pellet is caught in an updraft it may be frozen over several times creating an even larger piece of ice. This ice is referred to as hail. Acid rain Acid rain usually results when sulfur dioxides and nitrogen dioxides transform into dry or moist secondary pollutants such as sulfuric acids or nitric acid. These pollutants can travel in the atmosphere for thousands of kilometers. These particles are deposited in two ways, dry and wet. The wet form is called acid rain. Acids with a pH level usually below 5.6 are removed from the air through rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Dry deposition takes place when particles such as fly ash, sulfates, nitrates, and gases are deposited on, or absorbed onto, surfaces. The gases can then be turned into acids when they make contact with water. Plants Plants can be found all over the world. Some plants that we are familiar with are flowers, grass, and trees. Plants grow on top of mountains, in the ocean, and in the deserts. Oxygen, food, clothes, building materials, and some medicines come from plants. We can not live without plants. Scientists believe that there are over 260,000 species of plants. Some are so small that they are microscopic while others like the giant sequoia grow to an average of 50-85 m (150-280 ft) and 5-7 m (16-23 ft) in diameter. Radishes Although radishes are not a main part of the human diet they are a fast growing plant that require little water and grow well in colder soils. Radishes are grown for their roots. There are many types of radishes such as the French breakfast, cherry belle, scarlet globe, and the white icicle. Radishes range in weight from one ounce to two pounds. The scientific name for radish is Raphanus sativus. Soil Soil is a layer of rock particles and living things on the surface of the earth. Fertile topsoil is only about a foot deep. Distinct layers of soil are called horizons. In topsoil, at ground level, plants grow and animals live. Decomposers recycle dead animals and plants into humus. Topsoil is high in this organic matter. Subsoil is a mixture of mineral particles and some humus. Subsoil is low in organic matter. Weathered parent material has no organic material at all, and there are no organisms. This layer of soil is purely rock particles full of minerals. Bedrock is solid rock and will be transformed into weathered parent material when an earthquake moves it upward. Many organisms live in the soil such as amoeba, bacteria, beetle mites, eastern moles, nematodes, night crawlers, and root fungus. Soil is a natural resource that covers most of the earth’s land surface. Most of the life forms on earth depend on soil as a direct or indirect source of food. Plants that grow in the soil receive nutrients from it; animals get nutrients from the plants, or the animals that eat the plants. Specific microbes in the soil cause dead organisms to decay, which helps to return the nutrients back to the soil. Many kinds of animals find shelter in the soil. There are many types of soil and each soil has different characteristics such as color and composition. The different types of soil help to determine how well the crops grow. Soil is formed slowly and is easily destroyed. Summary Acid rain is a constantly increasing threat to the environment. Acid rain not only affects the land, it affects the water and air around us. If something is not done soon the earth could be permanently affected. |
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Environment Canada's “Acid Rain and the Facts”, The Green LaneTM , December 10, 2005. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html Dimichele, William. “Plants,” World Book Encyclopedia, page 516, 1998. “The Dirt on Soil: What’s Really Going on Under the Ground.” Discovery School. http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/soil/ “Rain.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain Hughes, George. “Radishes,” World Book Encyclopedia, page 99 100, 1999. Johnson, Taylor. “Soil,” World Book Encyclopedia, page 573, 1999. “Rain and Hail: liquid and ice precipitation." Department of Atmospheric Sciences at University of Illinois. December 2005. http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/prcp/rnhl.rxml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Sequoia - Description "Radish Articles” http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchresults.aspx?Q=radish |
I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
• Mr. Newkirk for helping me with my journal, graph, data table, and for lending me the triple beam balance.
• My parents for helping me to get all the supplies, turning on and off the lights, watering the radishes when I was gone, and encouraging me.
• My grandpa for lending me the lights that I needed to grow the radishes
• My grandma for picking me up from after school classes
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