In this experiment it will be observed how different concentrations of glucose affect the growth and development of Wisconsin Fast Plants. Four quads each containing two plant seeds were placed on bins set up with felt on the top that goes into the water on the bottom providing the plants with constant water so they don't die. These plants were put into five different groups including the control and the other four having different concentrations of a glucose solution that they were to be "watered" with. Data was then collected from each of the groups based on the growth and development of the plant.
This research experiment was conducted to test and observe the affect that glucose has on the growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants. The growth of the each group with different glucose concentrations will be recorded and compared to the growth of the control which is the plant group with water only to determine the optimal conditions for these plants to grow and germinate. It is predicted that the Wisconsin Fast Plants that are being given higher concentrations will show less growth and development than the control or plants being given lower concentrations of glucose. There are a total of # groups including the control, %1, %5, %15, and %25. The independent variable is ,the dependent variable is , and the control is the plant group being watered with just water and no glucose solution which will be used as a comparison to the other groups. The constants in this experiment are the setup of the bins and the amount of water in each, along with the same amount of quads on each bin with felt, the amount of light the plants will receive, how often the plants will be "watered", the amount of plant fertilizer pellets, Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds, and the amount of each solution being given to the specified group in each section of the quad.
20 plant quads
water
glucose solution (make different concentrations)
160 Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds
240 fertilizer pellets
80 wicks
5 bins cut
5 pieces of felt for the bins
droppers
UV light source
Begin with the five bins and cut the lids so a piece of felt can fit over the top into the bottom for all bins
Cut five pieces of felt to go on top of the bins that have just been cut (they should be long enough to where they touch the bottom of the bin)
Begin to set up the quads by placing a wet wick sticking halfway out the bottom of each section of the quad
Fill each cell of the quad with soil about halfway
Place 3 fertilizer pellets and put a thin layer of soil over them
Fill the rest of the quad cell with soil
Place two Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds
Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil
Water each cell with 5ml of a given solution using a dropper
Place each quad on the bins prepared earlier under a UV light
Observe and record data daily based on growth and development
In my first trial there was a lot of room for error which eventually led to the experiment being left in a standstill. There were results but they were very inconsistent and not reliable. I made the decision to restart my research and eliminate the room for error to get more accurate results. One of the issues was I began to water the plants with their given glucose solution immediately instead of beginning with water then switching to the solutions. This would help me see more results as some of the glucose inhibited the growth of some plants. Not only did only a few plants grow to begin with we then had a break so I was unable to keep up with watering so when I returned almost all of the plants had sprouted had died.
This trial had much better results than the first trial in which there actually were differences shown. The results of this experiment demonstrated that plants do show a difference in growth and development when watered with different concentrations of glucose. The control and the %5 showed the most growth in the span of 6 weeks. Although the control showed more growth it was also more wilted and less stable, the %5 solution group was much more stable. The %5 solution also seemed to live longer than the control group after testing. From these results it can be concluded that the control is the best for growth but more stability is shown in the %5 solution group which still demonstrates a significant amount of growth.