How do Different Liquids Affect Plant Growth?

Anthony Rivetti, Nick Koscinski, Jordon Surkosky

Honors Biology

Period 3

21 December 2016
Introduction

The question tested in this project was what effect different liquids would have on the

growth of plants. To test this, it was decided that liquids containing varying mineral and vitamin

concentrations should be tested, to help identify what exactly promotes plant growth. Gatorade

and Vitamin Water were chosen to be used because of their similar qualities but slightly different

contents. Both liquids are enhanced with different vitamins and minerals. It was inferred that

plants need minerals and vitamins to grow, therefore, the enhanced liquids would aid in the

growth of the plants. Cucumber seeds were selected to use as the plant because of the short

germination period.

The independent variable in this experiment was the type of liquid supplied to the plants,

and the dependent variable was the height to which the plants grew. It was hypothesized that the

plant given Gatorade would grow to the greatest height. This is because Gatorade contains

minerals that support plant growth, while the other two liquids, water and Vitamin Water, do not

contain these (Dority, Vitaminwater). Gatorade has significant amounts of both Potassium and

Chloride, two elements that increase plant growth (Dority). Potassium acts as a catalyst in

chemical reactions within plants, activating enzymes in photosynthesis and proteins in

metabolism. Chloride ions help carry out photosynthetic reactions (Broome).

In this experiment, every aspect with exception to the independent variable remained

constant. The container size, amount of soil, type of soil, and depth of planting were regular

throughout the three plants in both tests. The same number and type of seeds were also used. The

amount of liquid was constant at 50 ml, and the environment was the same for each of the three

plants in both tests. The control group in this experiment was the plant given water, and the

experimental group was the plants given Gatorade and Vitamin Water. This is because water is
the traditional liquid used to hydrate plants, so it was not the focus of this experiment. This

experiment was completed in November of 2016.

Materials

Testing Environment
Plant/Grow light
Cucumber seeds (3 for each container)
3 Plastic Pots
Soil
Water
Gatorade
Vitamin Water
Mason Jar for measuring liquid amount
Ruler

Procedures

1. Take 3 plastic pots and cut three holes in the bottom of each.

2. Label the pots, one for each liquid water, Gatorade, and Vitamin Water.

3. Fill each pot with the same amount of soil (Half of the cup).

4. In the center of the soil make a hole 30 mm deep with your finger in each cup.

5. Place 3 seeds in the hole in each pot and cover the holes back up.

6. Place the pots under the plant light in the back of the classroom

7. Using the Mason jar, measure and pour 50 ml of water, Gatorade, and Vitamin water into

their corresponding cup.

 8. Record the height of the plant that day

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 once daily for 14 days.

Table 1: Plant Height (after 14 days) Trial 1

Water 2 buds (small sprout=32 mm and large sprout=95 mm)
Gatorade Did not grow
Vitamin Water Did not grow
Results

Table 2: Plant Height Trial 2

Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Da

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
0 0 6 13 20 26 27 29 36 37 40 48 53 59
Water
mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm
Gatorad 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

e mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm
Vitamin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Water mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm
In the first trial of this experiment, the plant given water grew two sprouts, or shoots

extending from the soil, the smaller of which grew to a height of 32 mm and the larger to a

height of 95 mm. The Gatorade and Vitamin Water plants did not grow, and an odor was

observed in these plants.

In the second trial, the plants were measured on a daily basis, and the watered plant grew

to a height of 59 mm. The plants given Gatorade and Vitamin Water did not grow in this trial

either, and an odor was also produced.

 Chart 1: Plant Height - Trail 2
70
60
50
40

Plant Height (mm) 30

20
10
0

Time

Water Gatorade Vitamin Water

This graph shows the results from the second test of the experiment. It can be seen that

neither the Gatorade nor the Vitamin Water plants grew, while the water plant did. A graph could

not be made for the first test because the plants were not measured on a daily basis.

Discussion

The piece of data that stands out the most is the lack of growth by the plants given

Gatorade and Vitamin Water. Because the watered plants saw growth in both trials, it can be

concluded that the reason for the plants failing to grow lies in the liquids themselves. The soil,

amount of light, or environment did not result in the lack of growth because they were constant

throughout the entire experiment, and if there was an issue with one of these factors, the plants

given water would not have grown.

 After researching the topic, it was discovered that the growth of plants is inhibited by

high concentrations of salt. This is because the plants ability to absorb water from the soil is

affected, putting a strain on the plant. The stress affects the plant and could lead to its lack of

growth (Abdul Quados). Both Gatorade and Vitamin Water contain some concentration of salt,

although Gatorades is much higher. It was also discovered that large amounts of sugar in liquids

can harm a plant. Excessive amounts of sugar can cause mold to build up on the soil surrounding

the plant, preventing the plant from absorbing water, and causing it to die (Larsen). This is an

observation that was made during the experiment, characterized by the black fungus on top of the

soil of the Gatorade and Vitamin Water plants and a putrid smell that came with it. Another

reason that the contents of Gatorade and Vitamin Water inhibited plant growth was the fact that

water was being drawn from the plant. This is because the two liquids are hypertonic solutions,

meaning they have a greater concentration of dissolved solute than the plant cell. Due to this

higher concentration of dissolved substance, there is a lower concentration of water in the

Gatorade and Vitamin water, causing it to flow from the plant cells to attain equilibrium (Cells).

Because the Gatorade plant did not grow at all, the hypothesis was refuted. It was

believed that the Gatorade would have caused the plant to grow the highest because of the

minerals it contains; however, the other elements of Gatorade, such as the salt and sugar,

interfered. A way to improve upon this project would be to use a mineral/electrolyte water

instead of Gatorade, which would remove the problems it caused, while retaining the connection

to the original project and hypothesis.

Some errors may have occurred during this experiment, however they would not have

had a large effect on the results. These possible errors include mistakes in measuring liquid

amounts, planting depth, and growth height. Even if these were avoided, there would have not
likely been many differences in results, other than the growth height of the watered plants. The

reason for a lack of growth was not caused by mistakes, but by the nature of the liquid.
 References

Abdul Quados, Amira M.S. "Effect of Salt Stress on Plant Growth and Metabolism of Bean Plant

Vicia Faba (L.)." ScienceDirect. N.p., Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X10000032>.

Broome, Stephen W. "Mineral Elements Required in Plant Nutrition." Fertilizers and Soil

Fertility. North Carolina State University, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

<http://broome.soil.ncsu.edu/ssc051/Lec5.htm>.

"Cells in Hyertonic Solutions." Pearson - The Biology Place. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.

<http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/biomembrane1/hypertonic.ht

ml>.

Dority, Jason. "Electrolytes in Gatorade." LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf Group, 09 June 2015. Web.

13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/283573-electrolytes-in-gatorade/>.

Larsen, Lisa. "How Does Gatorade Affect the Growth of a Bean Plant?" GardenGuides. Leaf

Group, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.gardenguides.com/132230-gatorade-affect-

growth-bean-plant.html>.

Vitaminwater Nutrition Facts. Glaceau, 2016. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

<http://vitaminwater.com/files/vitaminwater-base_rev_nut_facts_2016.pdf>.