Student Research Reports

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The purpose of this research was to determine if using polluted water to hydrate Raphanus sativus seeds would negatively affect their growth. The hypothesis tested was that hydrating these common radishes with polluted river water would allow these seeds to germinate but would grow less and die off sooner than those watered with the control variable, bottled spring water. I think that watering Raphanus sativus plants with polluted water will negatively impact their growth because the pollutants in the water will stunt their growth and even cause early death to the plant. The experiment design included ten trials using seeds planted in peat pots with potting soil, and watered every one to two days. Each pot received the same seed brand, sunlight, water, and growth opportunity. The only variable being measured was plant growth which was measured with a metric ruler once germination began. The control variable was bottled spring water which matched the ideal parameters for healthy plant growth. Each trial had plants measured that were watered by polluted urban rivers from Michigan and Ohio: The Rouge River, the Detroit River, Silver Creek, and the Ottawa River. Each river had been certified as a polluted urban river by their states’ respective EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Each plant was measured every three days once seedlings sprouted, for any growth and data recorded in logbook. Each water source was measured for water quality using GLOBE protocols and uploaded into database. The data sadly, supported the hypothesis and results surprised this researcher.