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Investigating the Effectiveness of Using Common Reed (Phragmites australis‬)in Fertilizing Plants and its Impact on Water and Soil
Organization(s):Um hany basic school
Country:Oman
Student(s):Wegdan Al Nadabi, Arwa Al Gelendani, Razan Al Nadabi
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):nawar alrawahi
Contributors:T. Badryia
Agricultural Development Department and Bee'ah company
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Green-Up / Green-Down, Conductivity, Salinity, Water Temperature, Water Transparency, pH
Presentation Poster:
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Date Submitted:02/25/2018
This study investigated the effectiveness of using common reed in fertilizing plants and its effect on the water and the soil on which it grows. It was set out to answer the following questions:
1.How effective is the use of common reed in plant fertilization?
2. How do the properties of water are affected near the growth of the common reed compared to a far location?
3. How do the properties of soil are affected near the growth of the common reed compared to a far location?
This research was applied in Samail, Oman. First, the common reed was dried and grinded. Then, it was used to fertilize tomato plant. The growth rates of this plant were compared to another fertilized using organic fertilizer through the application of the land cover protocol. The water and soil protocols were also applied to measure the properties of connectivity, salinity and acidity to samples of water and soil from two different locations, one near the growth of the common reed and the other away in order to compare them.
The results of the study showed the effectiveness of using the common reed as a fertilizer. It was found that the growth rate of the tomato plant that was fertilized with the common reed is more than (14.5 cm, in three weeks) compared to the growth rate (11 cm, within three weeks) of the tomato plant which was fertilized using organic fertilizer. Less connectivity, salinity, and acidity properties of both water and soil were also found in the common reed growth area than in the distant region. This may indicates that the common reed has the ability to absorb various components and elements whether from water or soil.
The researchers recommend that the community should use the common reed as plant fertilizer.