1.

Research question
How does different light affect photosynthesis i.e. plant growth?
Photosynthesis is the proccess in which plants take in sunlight, water, CO2 and
nutrients and create O2 and food. Via this proccess plants grow. The light spectrum
is divided into three main colors, blue, green and red. Plants absorb blue and red,
but they reflect green and that is why they are green. Through this experiment, the
effect of every individual part of light will be explored.
Three individuals of three different types of plants,
spinach, radish and lettuce, will be grown over a 30 day
period under 5 different lights; red, orange, green, blue
and purple, in closed off compartments. Their growth will
be measured after the 30 days via ruler. It is expected for
the individuals under green light to grow the least and
under red and blue light the most.
2. Variables
Independent: color of light
Dependent: growth of plants
Controlled: amount of O2, water provided for growth, temperature
3. Control of variables
The independent varaible will stay constant in each compartment through the time
period of 30 days. The light will not be changed or turned off at any instance.
The amount of oxygen cannot be strictly controlled in the conditions I am working
in, but without changing the plants position or temperature, a constant will be
provided. The amount of water will be constant as well, a 200 ml glass of water
every three days.
4. Materials

15 spinach seeds
15 radish seeds
15 lettuce seeds
45 medium sized plant bowls
Package of soil
5 darkened compartments
Ruler (0.05cm)
Glass flask of 200 ml (0.1ml)
Lightbulbs capable of emitting just red, orange, green, blue or purple light

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5. Method
Prepare the plants by placing soil in the plant bowls half way, putting a seed and
filling them up all the way. Place 3 bowls of each plant per one compartment, in
total 5 darkened compartments with 9 plants per compartment under a certain
light. Give the plants 200ml of water every third day and after a month, 30 days,
measure each plants height with a ruler by placing the ruler to a 90 degree angle
with the bowl and mark the highest leaf on the plant.
Preparation of bowl

Top view of darkened compartment

Row of spinach

Side view of darkened compartment

seed

Whole bowl of soil

Row of radish

soil

Row of lettuce
L

L
lightbulb

Measuring height of plan

yy
90 degrees

Tallest leaf
ruler
bowls

6. Raw data
Table 1. Lengths of spinach over respective colors
SPINACH
LENGTH
(cm)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
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16.3
12.4
3.4
17.1

PLANT 1
16.5
12.3
3.6
17.4

16.6
12.7
3.7
17.6

22.2
17.3
4.2
22.9

PLANT 2
21.9
17.2
4.5
22.9

22.3
17.4
4.6
22.7

18.4
16.5
2.8
18

PLANT 3
18.5
16.4
2.6
18.5

18.7
16.8
2.5
18.3

VIOLET

16.2

16.6

16.3

20.5

20.8

20.7

15.3

15.4

15.9

Table 2. Lengths of radish over respective colors

RADISH
LENGTH
(cm)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
VIOLET

11.4
7.4
1.4
16.1
11.7

PLANT 1
11.3
7.8
1.7
16.2
11.2

11.6
7.3
1.6
16.5
11.8

16.7
11.2
2.6
17.4
12.8

PLANT 2
16.9
11.5
2.9
17.3
12.5

16.5
11.6
2.5
17.7
12.9

12.7
6.4
1.5
16.8
7.4

PLANT 3
12.4
6.3
1.1
16.4
7.2

12.8
6.1
1.2
16.5
7.8

12.2
5.8
2.9
10.6
7.4

PLANT 3
12.5
5.3
3.1
10.5
7.2

12.3
5.4
2.7
10.4
7.8

Table 3. Lengths of lettuce over respective colors

LETTUCE
LENGTH
(cm)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
VIOLET

8.6
5.6
3.1
11.4
6.9

PLANT 1
8.2
5.3
3.5
10.9
7

8.7
5.4
3.6
11.2
7.3

13.8
10.5
4.8
15.6
12.8

PLANT 2
13.4
10.3
4.2
15.6
12.3

13.6
10.7
4.6
15.5
12.5

7. Uncertainity
The uncertainty of the instrument with which I was dealing, a ruler, is 0.05 cm.
8. Proccessed data
The average is calculated by adding up the three measurings and then dividing
them by three.

A Sp 1=

16.3+16.5+16.6 49.4
=
=16.47
3
3

Table 4. Average lengths of plants of respective colors for spinach

AVERAGE
SPINACH
LENGTH
(cm0.05c
m)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
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PLANT PLANT PLANT

1
2
3
16.47
22.13
18.53
12.47
17.30
16.57
3.57
4.43
2.63
17.37
22.83
18.27

VIOLET

16.37

20.67

15.53

Table 5. Average lengths of plants of respective colors for radish

AVERAGE
RADISH
LENGTH
(cm0.05c
m)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
VIOLET

PLANT PLANT PLANT

1
2
3
11.43
16.70
12.63
7.50
11.43
6.27
1.57
2.67
1.27
16.27
17.47
16.57
11.57
12.73
7.47

Table 6. Average lengths of plants of respective colors for lettuce

AVERAGE
LETTUCE
LENGTH
(cm0.05c
m)
RED
ORANGE
GREEN
BLUE
VIOLET

PLANT PLANT PLANT

1
2
3
8.50
13.60
12.33
5.43
10.50
5.50
3.40
4.53
2.90
11.17
15.57
10.50
7.07
12.53
7.47

Graph 1. Average length of spinach, radish and lettuce under five different parts of
light

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Average length of spinach, radish and lettuce under five different parts of light

The x-axis contains the independent variable, the various colors, the y-axis the
dependent variable, the length of the plants expressed in cm. The columns are the
average height of each individual plant, 3 plants per a species. The blue columns
are the spinach individuals, green radish individuals and orange lettuce individuals.
As predicted, the shortest individuals were grown in the green light, over all plants
averaging about 3 cm. The tallest were grown in blue light, over all plants averaging
about 16 cm. Second comes red light with an average of 14 cm, violet with 12 cm
and second to last orange with 10 cm. But the difference between height even
between green and orange light is an average of 7 cm, and it just increases by color.
From this evidence I can answer my research question (How does different light
affect photosynthesis i.e. plant growth?) by saying that different colors in the light
spectrum drastically affect the growth of plants, and that plants do absorb most of
the spectrum with the exception of green with is mostly reflected off into our eyes.
7. Conclusion
The prediciton made at the beginning that the smallest plants will be grown in the
green light and the tallest ones in red and blue has been suported by the evidence.
As an average growth of plants in green light being 3 cm and from blue and red 16
cm an 14 cm respectively. One can futher conclude that the speed of
photosynthesis is greater in all non-green light since green is the light that is being
reflected and so not used in photosynthesis. An investigation made by NASA named
Comparative Study of Lettuce and Radish Grown Under Red and Blue LightEmitting Diodes (LEDs) and White Fluorescent Lamps in which they compared
biomass production, physiological characterizations light treatments influence
morphology, water use, chlorophyll content, and the production of ATP within plant
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tissues by growing radishes and lettuce under a) red and blue LEDs and b) white
flourescent lamps containing portions of green light, they saw that the plants were
generally more productive under the white flourescent lamps because even though
it contained green light, there were more colors (other than just red and blue) that
contributed to the growth of the plants. 1
8. Evaluation
Evaluating errors
An error could occur if the darkened compartments were not darkened completely
and white light either directly from the Sun or inside light could hace affected the
growth of plants, but considering that the experiment was done in a high school and
not a specialized lab, that margin of error is acceptable.
Improvements
Improvments on the procedure itself could be to increase the number of individual
plants per species and so to get better, precise data from which a more accurate
conclusion could be drawn. The very location of the experiment could be more
suitable, a complete dark room and/or better light bulbs or even LEDs for the light
distribution. The pattern of distribution of plants under the light might have affected
the data in less exposure and naturally less growth, so to improve the experiment,
perhaps more light sources or simply a pattern in which all plants get equal light.
9. References
Mickens, Matthew A. Comparative Study of Lettuce and Radish Grown Under Red
and Blue Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and White Fluorescent Lamps. Unknown,
2012. A Final Report Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the JPFP,
Center-Based Research Experience (CBRE).
BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Photosynthesis, BBC, 2014,
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa_pre_2011/plants/plant
s1.shtml> (2.1.2015.)
Light and Plant Growth, Virtual Labs, unknown,
<http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/LS12/LS12.html
> (2.1.2015.)

1 Mickens, Matthew A. Comparative Study of Lettuce and Radish Grown Under Red
and Blue Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and White Fluorescent Lamps. Unknown,
2012. A Final Report Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the JPFP,
Center-Based Research Experience (CBRE).
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