The Effect of Different Types of Water on the Growth of Bean Plants

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1. Question:

How is the growth rate of bean plants affected by
different types of water?

2. Introduction:
We are going to be exploring the affect that different type of water have on the growth rate of bean plants. We will be experimenting with two different types of bean plants and testing three different types of water.

PH is basically the negative log of hydrogen ion activity used to measure the acidity or basicity. The pH level ranges on a scale from one to fourteen, one being most acidic, fourteen being most basic, and seven being neutral (Soil pH and Fertilizers). A pH level of 6.5 or slightly acidic is ideal to most plants because nutrients are most readily available between a range of six to seven (Soil pH and Fertilizers). If the pH falls below four or above nine, a living organism dies(Water Quality Tests). The pH of a soil is its measure of relative acidity or alkalinity; pH is an acronym for potential hydrogen. The availability of nutrients is directly affected by soil pH. Past studies have shown that pH is a strong indicator of soils that are chemical properties. The hypothesis for our experiment is that all the plant trials will grow, but the filtered water plants will grow most rapidly, as filtered water has fewer contaminants and more nutrients. By completing this experiment, we plan to determine which type of water is ideal for growing the healthiest indoor plant. The results of this experiment may be relevant in greenhouse and indoor planting. In our experiment we will also be considering the effects that the pH has on the soil. Soil that is too acidic or too basic does not promote healthy plant growth, due to the fact that, in both cases, the plants are deprived of their nutrients, which is harmful to helpful bacteria. If the soil�s pH is too high or too low, some nutrients become insoluble, limiting the availability of these nutrients to the plant root system. Our goal is not only to study the pH levels of soil, but to compare them to kidney and lima bean plant growth. We believe that through regular watering of the bean plants, the soil will be altered by the different pH levels of the water. We also believe that the pH level of the soil is a significant factor in determining how well the bean plants will grow. Again, we hypothesize that the soil that is watered with the filtered water will be the closest to neutral, therefore these plants will grow the best. 3. Relevance of Our Research Question:

In the past, similar research has been conducted with different types of waters on plants. One known experiment performed, was testing the wilt of flowers when they were placed in distilled, hard, soft, and lake water. This is somewhat similar to our experiment as we are using pond water, filtered water, and tap water; however, instead of testing the wilt of flowers, we are testing the durability and growth rate of the plants.

Our research may relate to a question of what kind of water may produce the best results for indoor vegetation or greenhouse work.

4. Research Design and Method

The materials for our experiment include:
1. 36 Red Kidney beans
2. 36 Lima beans
3. 72 16 oz. plastic cups
4. 40.5 pounds of Green Charm potting soil
5. Measuring cups
6. 165 ounces of Filtered water
7. 165 ounces of Pond water
8. 165 ounces of Tap water
9. Electronic pH tester
10. Metric ruler

The procedure entails the following:

First, fill seventy-two 16 ounce cups with three ounces of potting soil. In thirty-six of the plastic cups, place one red kidney bean in each of the cups; in the other thirty-six cups, place onelima bean in each cup. Then fill each cup with an additional six ounces of potting soil.

Next, place the individual cups in the greenhouse, giving each plant ample space to grow in between cups. To ensure that each plant receives equal amounts of sunlight, rotate the plants every week, for the duration of the experiment, which will last five weeks.

The types of water...
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