Lab Report Essay

Submitted By Wally-Rafiq
Words: 1128
Pages: 5

Lab Report

Effects of Growth in Pinto Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris) under the influence of Nitrogen

Different chemicals have been used over the years as fertilizers which enhance plant growth, number of leaves and color. The main purpose of this experiment was to explore the possibilities of Nitrogen presence on plant growth. Over a period of 4 weeks, the pinto bean plants were under experiment with different measurement of Nitrogen. It was added once a week and also was added by distilled water. The plants were watered 3 times a week (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday). The data was collected every Monday. The collected data were basically on plant height, number of leaves and color of the leaves.
Introduction
Pinto Beans or scientifically called Phaseolus Vulgaris are one of the most commonly used crops in North and South America. In Spanish it is called Frijol Pinto or painted bean which came from its mottled skin. Pinto beans are the most widely produced in the US which is a great source of fiber and protein. Fiber helps lowering Cholesterol, also controls blood sugar level. (Pg. 2, cals.arizona.edu)
The hypothesis of this experiment is to see whether different treatment of nitrogen in Pinto bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris) plant effects differently and if it reacts positively or negatively.
Nitrogen plays a key role on leaf color in a plant because it is responsible for the production of chlorophyll which is vital for photosynthesis. Also, it is a key nutrient for the plant growth.
As, studies shows that Nitrogen is one of the key nutrients a plant need for its healthy growth but before application one should know about the ideal balance of the chemicals. Studies shows, less nitrogen is responsible for slow growth and pale green color of the leaves and whereas, excess nitrogen can cause delayed growth and in the risk of fosters diseases.
The purpose of this experiment is to figure out the level of Nitrogen or in other words how much nitrogen is ideal to apply on a plant for healthy growth.
Materials and Methods
There were 16 a cup size pots and the soil was added roughly three fourth of a cup. The water that was added to the plants was 40 mL of distilled water.
16 plants were divided into 4 groups which received 4 different kinds of treatments.
The first group was constant with no Nitrogen presence
Second group was under the influence of 5 mg Nitrogen.
Third was 10 mg
Fourth was 15mg.
Every group was given the seeds by the department which looked like packed seeds. Each pot was consisted of a single seed and there were 3 other replicates per group. The measurements were collected every Monday. The unit that the heights were collected was Centimeter (Cm). The temperature where the experiment took place was controlled and even for all the plants. The lighting was evenly distributed and also the water application was even.
Results:
The results varied widely among the samples, and especially in the 15 mg sample. As seen in graph 1, the biomasses of the 15 mg sample did not even weigh 0.5 grams. The results we obtained for the 15 mg sample were in no way favorable conditions for any crop. Also, when comparing graph 1, table 1, and graphs 2-5, we see that biomass, height, and number of leaves are directly related. The only result we found that was neither directly nor inversely related was the color of the leaves. The 5 mg sample was the healthiest, but was not the darkest green. The constant group, which had the second largest biomass, was the least green of all of them. This would suggest that there is an ideal shade of green for the pinto bean plant to grow. The height of the pinto bean plants for the 10 and 15 mg treatments go down because of the loss of leaves. Averages of the 10 mg sample were done with only two plants, since two did not sprout.
Data collected over the period of 3 weeks are:
Amount of Nitrogen
Week 1
(all 4 plants)
Week 2
(all 4 plants)
Week 3
(all 4 plants)
Week 4
(all 4 plants)