Plant Experiments Brianna Brooke Samantha Sarah
Research Question What is the impact of different mixtures of water on a plants growth and phenotype? The water mixtures would be: a control of tap water, a variable of salt water, a variable of two different vinegar mixtures, and a variable of a dye mixture to test if the mixtures affect the color of leaves and or stem and see if the growth is affected due to non pure water.
Research Predictions Our team predicts that the tap water plant will be our control and will grow normally. Our salt water mixture is predicted to grow, but shorter and less healthy more wilted than a normal plant. The vinegar mixture is predicted to severely restrict the growth of the plant. Finally our dye mixture we predict will not have an affect on the growth, but will affect the expression of colors on the plants.
Materials 30 - f2 non purple stem yellow green leaf fast growing plant (Brassica rapa) seeds 5-20 fl oz Gatorade bottles Potting soil Perlite Vinegar Table salt Tap water Green dye
Experiment 1.) Set up the Gatorade bottle planting system as shown in the picture to the side. 2.) Plant six (6) seeds in each planting system. 3.) In planting system one (1) pour some of the 100 ml of tap water on the top and then place the rest in the bottom of the planting system. 4.) In planting system two (2) pour some of the 100 ml of tap water mixed with 1 gram of salt over the top and pour the rest in the bottom of the system. 5.) In planting system three (3) pour some of the 100 ml of tap water mixed with 5 ml of vinegar over the top and place the rest in the bottom of the system.
Experiment [Cont.] 6.) In planting system four (4) pour some of the 100 ml of tap water mixed with eight drops of green dye on the top of the planting system and pour the rest into the bottom of the system. 7.) In planting system five (5) pour some of the 99 ml of tap water mixed with 1 ml of vinegar on the top of the planting system and pour the rest into the bottom of the system. 8.) As plants use water add water mixtures to bottom of planting systems, to prevent the plants from drying out. 9.) Record differences in the phenotype of the plants.
Observations Day 1 Only plants to grow are just water mixture and dye mixture. Dye mix 5 out of 6 seeds growing, 4 have purple stems, 1 has a white stem, all 5 have dark green leaves Just water mix 4 out of 6 seeds growing, 2 have not grown leaves, the two that have grown leaves one has yellow green the other has purplish green leaves. Only on 3 of the 4 seeds can you see the stem, one purple, one green, the other is a mix of green and purple. Salt mix no growth Vinegar mix no growth Day 3 Salt no change vinegar no change no growth water has grown 3 out of the 6, 2 are light purple stem, 1 has a yellow stem, all 3 have light green leaves Dye mix has grown 5 out of the 6, 3 have purple stems, 1 has white, and 1 has light green, 4 leaves are light green 1 is yellow green. Day 6 Dye Mix 5 of 6 plants have grown, 4 purple stems, 1 yellow green leaf Water 3 of 6 have grown, 1 has purple stem, 1 has white, 1 green leaf, 1 yellow green leaf Vinegar 1 plant has grown green stem and green leaf Salt 1 plant has grown, purple stem, half of the leaves yellow green, other half just green.
Observations [Cont.] Day 7 Vinegar 1 of 6 have grown, green stem, dark green leaf. Salt 1 of 6 have grown, purple stem, no determined leaf color Dye 5 of 6 have grown, 3 purple stem, 1 green stem, 1 dark green stem, 2 dark green leaf, 2 green leaf Water 3 of 6 have grown, 1 white stem, 1 green stem, 1 dark purple stem, 1 yellow green leaf, 2 green leaf Day 13 Dye Mix 4 have half green half purple stem, all plants have dark leaves on top and light on bottom. Just Water Mix 2 half purple half green stem, 1 green stem, 1 dark green leaf, 1 yellow green leaf, 1 yellow leaf. Original Vinegar Mix- 1 half purple half green stem, 1 dark green leaf. Light Vinegar Mix 1 purple stem, 1 light green stem, 1 white stem, 2 green leaf, 1 yellow green leaf. Salt Mix A single tiny stem that has not grown since the beginning, very dark stem, no leaf, believe it is dying. Flowering in Dye and Just Water mixes
Day 1 Day 6 Day 10 Day 13 Just Water Photos Day 14
Just Water Charts
Day 1 Day 6 Day 10 Vinegar Mix Photos Day 13 Day 14
Vinegar Mix Charts
Day 3 Day 6 1% Vinegar Mix Photos Day 7
1% Vinegar Mix Charts
Day 2 Day 6 Day 10 Day 13 Dye Mix Photos Day 14 Flowers
Dye Mix Charts
Conclusion In the beginning we believed the dye would mask the phenotypes of the plants and turn them all green, but it did not. The plants are an array of colors ranging from completely green stems, to deep purple, to a very light purple almost white. Even the leaves are yellow, green, and slightly purple. The flowers have not been affected but are still growing so we don't have a conclusion about those yet. We also think that since the dye is made of mostly water and propylene glycol, that the plant was able to grow normally with some sugar since the propylene glycol is very sweet. We had believed our original heavy vinegar mix would kill the plant but it did not, albeit it is growing very slowly and only one plant has grown it is there. The stem is mostly green with dark green leaves, we think that maybe the vinegar
Conclusion [Cont.] slowed the growth of the fast growing plant. Comparing the results to our light vinegar mixture, we realized that all of the leaves are green, some darker than others but green not yellow. The light mixture was expected to grow as the potency was very low so the results are not surprising. For the just water mixture we were surprised, the plants didn't grow as fast as we had expected, we expected the plant to mature the fastest, but that had been the dye mix. The water mix has an array of colors, ranging from purple, to light purple, to a light green. The leaves are all green no yellow leaves are present. The salt mixture we believed would not affect the plant, but it in fact either killed the plants or slowed the growth down to that not of a fast plant, as it showed no signs of growth.