dmssmithwosspring2023 project 7
- Project reviewer
Joined 10 Mar 2023
Project by group dmssmithwosspring2023
Info
| Explore | My name is Karly. I like crafts and doing gymnastics. I have had a decent amount of experience with plants. Me and my mom plant fruits and vegetables in our backyard garden. We also have many plants inside that I repotted and watered. For example Calla lilies, cucumbers, money trees, tomatoes,... |
|---|---|
| Research Question | How does the amount of sugar in water affect a plant's germination rate? |
| Predictions | We predict that the seed will germinate faster with 5 milliliters of sugar in the water. We think the water with 5 milliliters will germinate the seed the fastest because 15 milliliters of sugar will be too much. |
| Experimental Design | 1. Gather materials 2. Place a paper towel piece in each petri dish 3. Place 10 seeds on each paper towel piece about 2 centimeters apart 4. Get a beaker and add 100mL of tap water 5. Repeat step 4 twice Set one cup to the side Add 5 mls of sugar to the tap water Add 15 mls of sugar to... |
| Conclusion | The claim we found from our investigation is that sugar is good for a plant up to a certain point. Sugar in water is good for a plant up to a certain point, this is true because the seeds that were watered with 5 grams of sugar grew the least. The seeds that were watered with 2.5 grams of sugar... |
| About this Project |
This group wowed me with their communication with their mentor. They consistently uploaded photos of progress and wrote out descriptions for their data. Additionally, their final conclusion statement was well thought out and included how their mentor influenced their experiment. |
Updates
These are our graphs. Sorry that they got cut off.
These are our quantitative observations:
|
Numbers |
Tap water |
2.5 grams of sugar in water |
5 grams of sugar in water |
|
Day 1 |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
|
Day 2 |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
|
Day 3 |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
0 seeds germinated |
|
Days 4-6 |
No data (weekend) |
No data (weekend) |
No data (weekend) |
|
Day 7 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 26.8 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 19.4 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 17.9 |
|
Day 8 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 31.6 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 27.6 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 22.8 |
|
Day 9 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 34.2 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 40.2 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 23.5 |
|
Day 10 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 32.9 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 40 |
# germinated: 10 mean root length: 26.4 |
Hello Dr. Marsh! Our final claim was that the amount of glucose a plant intakes through water affects how fast it’s germination rate will be. 2.5g of sugar water mixed with 200 ml of tap water is the best for a seed to germinate at a fast rate. The second fastest germination rate for plants would be 200 ml of tap water. The water concentration with the third fastest germination rate was the 5g of sugar water mixed with 200 ml of tap water. Our evidence was that The tap water seeds had a lower average (32.9mm) length than the 2.5g seeds and a bigger average (40mm) than the 5g seeds (26.4mm). The 5g of sugar water seeds had the smallest germination rate because of glucose blockage. In conclusion, the amount or concentration of glucose in a plant's water intake will affect its germination rate. Its ABA levels will decrease causing the pheromones in seed development to also decrease. This challenges our prior knowledge and prediction because we thought that more glucose in the water would help germination and give the seed more nutrients to have a faster rate. Our mentor, Dr. Marsh, said that testing water concentration affecting germination would be good to test and that different sugar concentrations would be good for seeing a difference. We also had one variable for the most part (type of water). Although on day 3 before the weekend we changed our water amount from 5 drops of designated water type in each container to 10. The main thing me and my group learned was how glucose can affect mainly things in the growth and development of a seed. We appreciate everything you helped us with and taught us. Thank you so much!
-Karly and team
Here are our qualitative observations
|
Day 8 |
The roots are growing and you can see some sprouts. |
Roots are a little shorter than the tap water seeds and you can’t see any sprouts yet. |
The roots are growing and you can see some sprouts. |
|
Day 9 |
One of the seeds has some mold on it and isn’t growing much. Other than that all of the tap water seeds are growing a lot, and some have little leafs on the sprouts. |
The seeds are growing a decent amount, and the roots too. They aren’t as big as the tap water seeds, but they are getting there. |
The seeds still don’t have much growth and aren’t as big as the others. |
|
Day 10 |
The seeds had long roots and spikes, The seeds also grew and had long sprouts |
The seeds had decently long roots and sprouts and are a little bigger than the 5g seeds. |
The seeds had short roots and little sprouts. They didn’t grow as much as the other water concentration seeds. |
|
Description |
Tap water |
2.5 grams of sugar in water |
5 grams of sugar in water |
|
Day 1 |
Seeds were dry and looked the same as when they came out of the bag. |
Seeds were glistening and. Paper towel was somewhat wet.Some condensation on lid. |
Paper towel was wet and seeds were a little more wet than the tap water seeds. |
|
Day 2 |
Identical to yesterday |
Identical to yesterday |
Identical to yesterday |
|
Day 3 |
Dry and wrinkled |
Dry and wrinkled |
Dry and wrinkled |
|
Days 4-6 |
WEEKEND |
WEEKEND |
WEEKEND |
|
Day 7 |
All seeds germinated one seed has mold the same seed is growing into the paper towel |
All seeds are tan except 2 which are green. And the towel was damp. |
There are barely any roots and no sprouts. The seeds were also dry. |
Hello Dr. Marsh. We finished collecting data last week and we have just finished our report. Now we are in the process of presenting our results. Next week we will put in our conclusion. Have a nice day.
- Harper and team
Harper and Team~
Sounds great; looking forward to seeing the end product. I am excited for all of you.
Dr. Marsh
Hello Dr. Marsh! This is the last day of our investigation. We are pretty happy with how the seeds turned out. We can really see the differences in each concentration. We did have a miscommunication with our 2.5g of sugar water seeds, but they pretty much looked the same as they did yesterday. Thank you for all you have done!
-Karly and Team
Hello Dr. Marsh! This is day 9 of our investigation. You might not be able to see but the tap water seeds are growing tall sprouts with little leafs. We have noticed a trend where the seeds with the most sugar water concentration are not growing as much as all the other ones. We only have one more day of the investigation, so we will keep you updated! Thank you!
-Karly and Team
Hello Karly and Team!
Great photo - nicely labeled and clear. I can see what you are observing. Great observations. The plants look great! Cannot wait to see your next update.
Dr. Marsh
Hello Dr. Marsh! This is day 8 of our investigation. We have noticed that the roots have grown small spikes on them. We can also tell that the tap water seeds have had the most growth while the 5 grams of sugar water seeds have had the least. We will keep you updated on the progress. Thank you!
From Karly and team
Hello Dr. Marsh! This is day four of our investigation. We weren't able to water them over the weekend, but they have still grown and now have roots. We will keep you updated on all of the progress.
-Karly and team
Rachel and Team~
Great growth! Are there any similarities? Differences? What are you seeing in addition to the overall growth?
~Dr. Marsh
Hello Dr. Marsh! These are our seeds on day 3 of the investigation. The seeds have not germinated yet, and we switched the water amount to 10 drops per seed. We also put a damp paper towel over the seeds. We can't water them for 3 days because of our weekend, but we will update you on Monday. We hope you have a good weekend also!
-From Rachel and team
Rachel and Team~
Looks good. Hoping there is visible growth on Monday when you return.
All the best.
Dr. Marsh
Hello Dr. Marsh! These are the seeds on day two of our experiment. We have made a few changes to our procedure and we have decided to put 5 grams of sugar in one beaker of water and 2.5 grams of sugar in another. We are also still using a beaker of tap water. We also decided to do 5 drops of water on each seed. There has not been any germination yet but there has been lots of condensation on the lids. Thank you!
-from Rachel and team
Rachel and Team~
Thank you for the photos. Set up looks good. I was thinking about the condensation. The perti dishes are like mini greenhouses but there is no way really for air flow except through where the lid meets the bottom. Is there a way to prop the lid a little up so the flow of air can help with regulating temperature and prevent the bulid-up of condensation. From the photo where the dishes are on the shelf - are they getting enough light? Something to think about. I am hoping by Friday a few seeds will start to germinate.
~Dr. Marsh
These are the seeds on day one of the experiment. They have not changed at all from when they were taken out of the packages.
Hello Dr. Marsh, we hope your day is going well! We have decided to change our investigation after we got feedback from some scientists.
Planting Science Investigation
Question: How does the amount of sugar in the water affect a seed’s germination rate?
Prediction: We predict that the seed will germinate faster with 5 milliliters of sugar in the water. We think the water with 5 milliliters will germinate the seed the fastest because 15 milliliters of sugar will be too much.
Procedure:
-
Gather materials
-
Place paper towel piece in each petri dish
-
Place 10 seeds on each paper towel piece about 2 centimeters apart
-
Get a beaker and add 100mL of tap water
-
Repeat step 4 twice
-
Set one cup to the side
-
Add 5 mls of sugar to the tap water
-
Add 15 mls of sugar to a different beaker of water
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Mix the cup with 5 mls of sugar and set it to the side
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Mix the cup with 15 mls of sugar and set it to the side
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Put 3 drops of tap water onto each seed in one of the petri dishes
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Put 3 drops of the water with 5 mls of sugar onto each seed in another petri dish
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Put 3 drops of the water with 15 mls of sugar onto each seed in the last petri dish
-
Now wait and watch the germination rate
Thank you! Have a good day!
- Harper and team
Hello Harper and Team
Apologies for the lateness (I read when it was posted and told myself to respond later; it's later).
What percentage sugar is the "sugar solution" mentioned in steps 7 and 8? I ask as Steps 7 and 8 look like they are going to be different percentages of sugar solutions. How are those made and what percentage of sugar are you wanting them to be? Meaning what will the concentration of sugar will the solution be? How are you making them - is that steps 9 and 10? Can you please expand on what you have?
~Dr. Marsh
Hello Karly and Team~
Happy Thursday.
Water - this is good, the control.
Sugar water – you are testing the impact of sugar on the plants ability to utilize ‘sugar’ and the impact on growth, correct? How much sugar/what concentration of the solution will the plants be watered with?
Sparkling water – this is soda/pop without the added calories and sugar (aka water infused with carbon dioxide). Why testing with sparkling? What do you think will be the impact of ‘watering’ plants with sparkling water?
I do think you are on the right path with the three you have selected- for background information for yourself and the project, why are the three options selected? When thinking about how to test the impact on plants, what nutrients do plants need to grow? Also, what of those nutrients are accessible for the experiment (if needed)?
~Dr. Marsh
Thank you Dr. Marsh! My group and I have decided to investigate question 1. We think that it would be the safest and most reliable option. The types of water we want to use are sugar water, tap water, and sparkling water. Do you have any thoughts? We would love to hear your opinion. We hope you have a good rest of your day, and thank you again!
Thank you Dr. Marsh! My group and I have decided to investigate question 1. We think that it would be the safest and most reliable option. The types of water we want to use are sugar water, tap water, and sparkling water. Do you have any thoughts? We would love to hear your opinion. We hope you have a good rest of your day, and thank you again!
My name is Karly. I like crafts and doing gymnastics. I have had a decent amount of experience with plants. Me and my mom plant fruits and vegetables in our backyard garden. We also have many plants inside that I repotted and watered. For example Calla lilies, cucumbers, money tree, tomatoes, and more. I am excited to explore and learn more about plants.
Hello Karly~
Nice to meet you! I too have grown zucchini and peppers and butternut squash. The last one is my favorite; delicious in soups and with a good dinner. One of the things which amazed me when I was younger was the diverse uses of plants and plant products in society and it still amazes me today. {Just something to think about – what in your daily life is a plant, is a plant product or derived from plants? It is a lot things.} I am excited to working with you and the team.
Talk with you soon
Dr. Marsh
Hi, my name is Rachel, and I am a seventh grader at DeWitt Middle School. I love to be outdoors. I have a lot of experience with growing plants. Every year, my family and I grow a garden. In the garden, we grow cucumbers, carrots, peppers, corn, tomatoes, peas, zucchini, sunflowers, and more! I always have a lot of fun growing things, so I can't wait to do it with you.
Hello Rachel ~
Nice to meet you! I too have grown zucchini and peppers and butternut squash. The last one is my favorite; delicious in soups and with a good dinner. I grew corn as a grad student - it was the plant species/model the lab I was in used. I became very familiar with corn
Hello! These are the group questions that we are thinking about investigating.
1. Does the type of water affect a seed's germination rate?
2. Which helps a seed germinate faster: Sunlight or artificial light?
3. Does the temperature affect how fast or slow a seed germinates?
Do you have any feedback? Thanks.
From Karly, Rachel, and Harper
Rachel and team~
When thinking about the questions to investigate (or which hypothesis your group is going to test) - compare the variables that are being tested to what is going on in photosynthesis. I suggest this as it the process of photosynthesis which plants (photosynthetic organisms) are able to convert the energy of the sun (solar or radiant energy) into chemical energy (in the form of glucose) during the process called photosynthesis.
With that - water, sunlight and temperature the different variables being tested in the questions you are asking are also important components in the process of photosynthesis.
Question 1 - what are different types of water? Are you thinking about a sugar solution compared to tap water OR a plant nutrients added to tap water (nutrient solution) compared to water? Either would be good to test.
Question 2 - different types of light is good; my only suggestion is what would you do if there were more cloudy days versus sunny days during the time your experiment is performed? Just something to think about.
Question 3 - What temperatures are you thinking of testing? There is the limitation of the classroom environment correct? Or do you have access a cooler or warmer room? That might be a good comparison?
Those are my thoughts.
Hope that helps.
Dr. Marsh
Hello, my name is Harper I love cooking and crafting. I have a little experience with plants: one of my favorite decorations are plants. we used to have succulent but we sadly killed them all because we were watering them with the wrong type of water. We also have a garden last year we only ended up with cucumbers, zucchini and a couple of herbs. Unfortunately the chipmunks got to the watermelon and peppers before us. I was a little involved in watering the plants and harvesting them.
Hello Harper
I read through the three postings to make sure I was not missing anything and replying once
Hello, my name is Harper I love cooking and crafting. I have a little experience with plants: one of my favorite decorations are plants. we used to have succulent but we sadly killed them all because we were watering them with the wrong type of water. We also have a garden last year we only ended up with cucumbers, zucchini and a couple of herbs. Unfortunately the chipmunks got to the watermelon and peppers before us. I was a little involved in watering the plants and harvesting them.
Hello, my name is Harper I love cooking and crafting. I have a little experience with plants: one of my favorite decorations are plants. we used to have succulent but we sadly killed them all because we were watering them with the wrong type of water. We also have a garden last year we only ended up with cucumbers, zucchini and a couple of herbs. Unfortunately the chipmunks got to the watermelon and peppers before us. I was a little involved in watering the plants and harvesting them.
Hello, my name is Harper I love cooking and crafting. I have a little experience with plants: one of my favorite decorations are plants. we used to have succulent but we sadly killed them all because we were watering them with the wrong type of water. We also have a garden last year we only ended up with cucumbers, zucchini and a couple of herbs. Unfortunately the chipmunks got to the watermelon and peppers before us. I was a little involved in watering the plants and harvesting them.
Hello everyone!
My name is Devani Jolman and I will be your liaison for this PlantingScience session!
I am a 2nd year PhD student at Old Dominion University in Virginia. I study the ecological consequences of plant hybridization by investigating hybrid highbush blueberries through the Coastal Plain and Piedmont of Virginia. I absolutely love plants and I love teaching, so PlantingScience is perfect. Before starting grad school, I spent over 4 years doing outdoor education in Vermont and Michigan. Currently, in my free time, I am teaching plant-based programs at local botanical gardens and for other community groups. Introducing students to the magic and beauty of plants is what I live for!
I am excited to work with you all this season and to see your amazing projects develop! If you need anything, please reach out. I am here for you!
Welcome to your PlantingScience project page!
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