Comparing Varying Levels of Oxygen Aeration in Increasing Plant Production

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my project is to determine if the amount of aeration has any effect on plant production. Methods/Materials I am using a stone that will aerate the water with various amounts of time. I am using vermiculite as a growing medium in five different containers. I built screened boxes to hold the vermiculite medium to set inside the container. In four of the containers, I placed an aeration stone. I added water to each of the containers and planted each container with the seeds. In the control group, I will use the same amount of growing medium in each growing container. I will place the seeds one and one-half inches apart. I will record the germination rate. Then I will allow the plants to grow for twelve weeks before I harvest the plants for weight, the length of the taproot, the height of the plant and the diameter of the taproot and stem of the plant. The experimental variables that I am using are the varying amounts of aeration that is added to the water. · Three hour aeration period · Six hour aeration period · Twelve hour aeration period · Twenty-four hour period Results The average days of germination was eight and one-half days in all groups (aeration and control group). The average height of the plant is twenty-nine and one-half centimeters tall. The difference between the plants that are aerated and the control group is eight and three-quarters centimeters taller in height. The average length of the plant taproot is twenty-three and eights-tenths centimeters long. The difference between the plants that are aerated and the control group is one and three-quarters centimeters longer. The average width of the plant taproot is fifty-two thousandths. The difference between the plants that are aerated is five thousandths. The average width of the plant stem is one hundred twenty-five thousandths. The difference between the plants that are aerated is eighteen thousandths. The average weight of the plant is two and five tenths of a gram. The difference between the plants that are aerated is thirty-five hundredths of a gram. The more aeration that is given to a plant after germination, the larger and healthier the plant will become than plants with less or no aeration. Conclusions/Discussion My conclusion on adding aeration to growing plants hydroponically was that I discovered the more you aerate the water the stronger and larger the plant will become.

Competition history

• CSEF 2005 Plant Biology · Entry J1618

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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