Water Sources and the Growth of Lolium multiflorum (Annual Ryegrass) Year 3

Overview

Objectives/Goals In the Coachella Valley, the golf industry consumes an enormous amount of water; they frequently use aquifer water to achieve this. However, this resource is limited. The other two water sources are Colorado River water which is fed through a canal system and Reclaimed water which is treated waste water. My goal was to mix different percentages of Reclaimed, Aquifer, and Colorado River water to find a solution that will help the golf courses: maintain lakes with a low amount of algae; save aquifer water and using more reclaimed water; and help golf courses use less fertilizer. Methods/Materials I used Aquifer, Reclaimed, and Colorado River water, hereafter referred to as (A)quifer, (C)olorado, and (R)eclaimed; I prepared mixtures with varying concentrations of these water sources. I placed water absorbent beads in 200 ml glass vials to hydrate the 10 Ryegrass seeds. I observed the germination and measured the subsequent growth of the samples. Results At Day 4, I observed: # of Seeds Germinated in mixture: Sample with maximum length of growth: Mixture Composition S1 S2 Mixture Composition S1 S2 33% (A)/33% (C)/33% (R) 4 4 33% (A)/33% (C)/33% (R) 4 3 50% (A)/30% (C)/20% (R) 5 4 50% (A)/30% (C)/20% (R) 4 3 30% (A)/20% (C)/50% (R) 3 3 30% (A)/20% (C)/50% (R) 2 2 20% (A)/50% (C)/30% (R) 8 7 20% (A)/50% (C)/30% (R) 5 4 60% (A)/20% (C)/20% (R) 5 5 60% (A)/20% (C)/20% (R) 3 4 20% (A)/60% (C)/20% (R) 9 9 20% (A)/60% (C)/20% (R) 6 5 As I repeated these tests, my results were materially the same. Conclusions/Discussion The mixtures containing Colorado River water, demonstrated the most amount of growth in the seeds. Over the space of 4 days, the 50% Colorado, 30% Reclaimed, and 20% Aquifer demonstrated the best qualities for interested Golf Courses. It uses more abundant resources, such as Colorado and Reclaimed water, and less of our vital drinking water.

Awards (1)

• Second Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2014 Plant Biology · Entry S1910

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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