How Ddoes Changing the Density of Soil while Growing a Potato Plant Affect the Length of the Potato Stalk?

Overview

When a potato I planted in the courtyard planter grew into a tiny, greenish potato, I wondered if the potatoes' growth was impacted by the courtyard's dense soil. This led me to my investigative question: "How does changing the density of soil while growing a potato affect the stalk length of a potato plant?" My hypothesis was that if I grow potato plants in 1) 100% (uncompressed) soil, 2) 150% soil, and 3) 200% density soil (N=3), the 150% density soil will grow the tallest plants because the potatoes will have room to root easily while having the most nutrients in the soil. My control group was potato plants in 100% density, uncompressed soil (1.1 g/cm3). To conduct this experiment, I compacted pots of soil, then planted potatoes. The plants received 1-2 inches of water weekly and fertilizer biweekly. The results showed that 100% density soil plants grew the tallest and 150% density grew the least. It is also noteworthy that the 150% density plants had an outlier, which lowered the averages. Without the outlier, correlation can be shown. This experiment showed no clear correlations, therefore soil density has no effect on the potato plant growth.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Plant Biology (Junior Division) · Entry J-18-19

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