fairfolio
Saved Projects

Adding H(2)O(2) to the Mix: Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Germination and Plant Growth

CSEF · 2006 Plant Biology

Kehly D. Kirk · Desert High School, Edwards

Overview

Objectives/Goals Hydrogen peroxide can benefit plant growth in two major ways: 1) improved aeration; and 2) killing microorganisms that may be harmful to plant growth through its bactericidal/algaecidal/fungicidal qualities. This project was designed to test the effects of various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide on germination and plant growth. Methods/Materials 20 Petri dishes, filter paper, 3 Jiffy Easy Grow Greenhouse Kits, potting soil, tap water, hydrogen peroxide solution, and seeds (cantaloupe, cucumber, radish, spinach, watermelon) were used. The Control Group was watered with tap water as needed and the Experimental Group was treated with one of three different concentrations (low, nominal and high) of hydrogen peroxide solution as needed. Petri dishes and greenhouses were checked for seeds that had germinated and data recorded daily. After most of the plants in the greenhouses had germinated, additional data including leaf color intensity, stem height, and overall appearance was collected weekly. Results Data results indicated significantly better results in Experimental Group vs. Control Group in some areas. For cantaloupe: better germination in the Petri dish and greenhouse kit at nominal concentration. For radish: better greenhouse growth and color at low concentration and germination in the Petri dish at nominal and high concentrations. For watermelon: better germination in the Petri dish at nominal concentration. Other results (Experimental Group vs. Control) were essentially similar, significantly worse, or unable to determine due to small sample size. Therefore, data collected from the experiment only partially supports the hypothesis. Conclusions/Discussion Application of hydrogen peroxide was found to have significant benefit for cantaloupe, radish, and watermelon. Depending on the plant, too little hydrogen peroxide was ineffective while too high a concentration proved to be toxic. Further research should be conducted to determine optimal concentrations for different plant types.

Summary statement

This project was designed to test the effects of various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide on germination and plant growth.

Help received

Parents purchased the materials and provided oversight when I gathered my data to double-check for accuracy; Father assisted in preparation of charts and graphs.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2006 Plant Biology · Entry S1610

Resources

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

Source: California Science & Engineering Fair public projects

Save projects to your library

Sign in with Google to keep track of projects you find interesting, organized into folders. An account also raises your daily allowance for “Has this been done?”, and lets you create a key for the MCP server with a much higher limit than anonymous use. Browsing stays public.

Continue with Google