AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

RESEARCH PAPER

Name: Geselle Dick

Class: Form Five (5) science
Subject: Agricultural- Science
Teacher: Ms. Burnette
Date: 9th December, 2016
Page of contents

Title and Aim..........................................................................2

Introduction.3

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Abstract.......................................................................4-5
Literature review.....................................................................6-7
Methodology............................................................................7-8
Results /Data Analysis............................................................9-12
Discussion ...............................................................................13
Conclusion...............................................................................14
Recommendation.....................................................................15
Bibliography...........................................................................16
Reference16

Title: To compare the growth rate of three lettuce plants using three unlike
mediums; sawdust, coal and a liquid medium.

Aim: The aim of the experiment investigate which medium would best promote the
fastest growth.

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 Introduction
The purpose of this research was mainly to identify the difference of lettuce plants
in hydroponics with the use of three different mediums; sawdust, water and
charcoal. The results of this project proved that hydroponics is a faster, easier and
more efficient way to grow lettuce seedlings. The seedlings were noticed to be
growing twice as faster compared to when grown normally. The researcher has had
a negative mindset as to what the outcome of this research would be, however the
results have proven to be quite different from what she had expected.
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 ABSTRACT
The word, Hydroponic, comes from Latin and means working water. Simply put, it
is the art of growing plants without soil.
When most people think of hydroponics, they think of plants grown with their
roots suspended directly into water with no growing medium. This is just one type
of hydroponic gardening known as N.F.T. (nutrient film technique). There are
several variations of N.F.T. used around the world and it is a very popular method

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of growing hydroponically. What most people don't realize is that there are
countless methods and variations of hydroponic gardening.
Both hydroponic fertilizers and those intended for use in soil contain the three
major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The major difference in
hydroponic fertilizers is that they contain the proper amounts of all the essential
micro-nutrients which fertilizers intended for use with soil do not. The plants are
expected to find these elements in the soil, assuming that the trace elements are in
fact present. Problems can arise for the plants if any or all of the micro-nutrients
are not present in the soil or are depleted by successive (or excessive) plantings.
Hydroponic fertilizers are usually in a more refined form with fewer impurities
making them both more stable and soluble for better absorption. Organic
fertilizers, in most cases, are very different than either hydroponic or soil fertilizers
both in composition and how they deliver the nutrient to the plants. Organic
fertilizers rely on the synergistic action of bacteria and microbes to break down
nutritional substances for easier uptake by the plants. Hydroponic and soil
fertilizers provide nutrients in a ready-to-use form. While once, they were mutually
exclusive, in recent years a number of outstanding organic fertilizers have hit the
market in formulations refined enough for use in hydroponics.
The micro-nutrients, also known as trace elements that are required for healthy
plant growth are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cobalt, copper, iron,
manganese, molybdenum and zinc. When deficient in any or all of these elements
plants suffer stress, disease, become more susceptible to pest, fungus' and bacteria,
and may have uptake issues with the N-P-K fertilizer they are being fed. At best,
they will never live up to their genetic potential in growth and yield; at worst, they
die. In the case of food crops, nutrient deficient plants lead to nutrient deficiencies
in the people and animals who consume them. Due to years of over farming the
same fields much of today's commercially produced food has a nutrient level
barely exceeding waxed fruit. No surprise that more and more people are choosing
to grow the food their families eat in their own gardens. When growing in soil
remember to renew the dirt between plantings and when growing hydroponically
know that it is absolutely essential to use a hydroponic fertilizer that provides all
the trace elements.

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 Literature review
If you give a plant exactly what it needs, when it needs it, in the amount that it
needs, the plant will be as healthy as is genetically possible. With hydroponics this
is an easy task; in soil it is far more difficult.

With hydroponics the plants are grown in an inert growing medium (see below)
and a perfectly balanced, pH adjusted nutrient solution is delivered to the roots in a
highly soluble form. This allows the plant to uptake its food with very little effort
as opposed to soil where the roots must search out the nutrients and extract them.
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This is true even when using rich, organic soil and top of the line nutrients. The
energy expended by the roots in this process is energy better spent on vegetative
growth and fruit and flower production.

If you grow two genetically identical plants using soil for one and hydroponics for
the other, you will almost immediately see the difference this factor makes. Faster,
better growth and much greater yields are just some of the many reasons that
hydroponics is being adapted around the world for commercial food production as
well as a growing number of home, hobby gardeners.

Growing medium is the material in which the roots of the plant are growing. This
covers a vast variety of substances which include Rockwool, perlite, vermiculite,
coconut fiber, gravel, sand, sawdust, charcoal, styro-foam and many more. The
growing medium is an inert substance that doesn't supply any nutrition to the
plants. All the nutrition comes from the nutrient solution (water and fertilizer
combined). You can therefore, easily control everything the plants receive. The
strength and pH of the nutrient solution is easy to adjust so that the plants receive
just the right amount of food. The watering/feeding cycles can be controlled by an
inexpensive timer so that the plants get watered on schedule, as needed.

Hydroponics can be as incredibly simple as growing a single plant in a hand

watered bucket or nursery pot, using any number of inert growing mediums. No
automation, electricity or grow lights required.

Of course, the potential to go high tech is limited only by your imagination and
budget. Virtually every aspect of garden management can be automated and should
you so desire, monitored and controlled with your laptop or cell phone from the
other side of the world. Dare to dream.

Most hobby oriented hydroponic systems are somewhere between the two
extremes mentioned above. The average, home hydroponic system usually consists
of a few basic parts: a growing tray, a reservoir, a submersible pump to water the
plants, a simple timer and an air pump and air stone to oxygenate the nutrient
solution. Of course, light (either natural or artificial) is also required.

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 Methodology
1. The materials were diligently gathered, these included; six large bowls
(preferably transparent), eighteen lettuce seedlings, the three mediums
chosen; (water, sawdust and charcoal), three needed nutrients namely
abstract A (macro nutrients; Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous), B (trace
elements) and C (calcium nitrates).

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2. Four containers were filled to the brim with the three media, each of the
medium were replicated twice in two similar designated containers.
3. They were moistened afterwards to facilitate for the transplanting of the
delicate lettuce seedlings.
4. Four lettuces were planted in each container
5. A composite liquid fertilizer was used to provide nutrients to plant on a daily
basis for six additional weeks. The composite fertilizer contains A (5ml per
liter), B (2.5ml per liter) and C (5ml per liter), respectively in 1 litre of
water.
6. Each container was then pressed down to ensure the plants would be secure
enough to anchor the plants.

7. Holes were made for the seedlings, which were successfully transplanted.
8. For the liquid, the abstracts and water mix were added to the two last
containers about half the container leaving space for the roots to respire
9. Styrofoam was cut to fit within the bowl, spaces for the seedlings were also
made and a sponge was placed into the holes to anchor the plants.

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10.After the seedlings were transplanted into all of the six containers they were
placed in a suitable area so they could gain sun but still not too much.
11.Data on growth parameters (leaf length, leaf width and number of leaves)
were collected from the plants each week for six week.
12.All data were input into Microsoft excel for analysis
13.Data were analyzed for means of growth parameters among the treatments
using Analysis of Variance utilizing a statistical software Statistix 10. This
was done to determine which treatment performed the best and can be
recommended.

Data Results
Data Analysis

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This analysis is the comparison among the treatments for the respective growth
parameters, number of leaves, length and width of the main leaves. It is the
analysis of variance comparing the treatments performance on the growth
parameters. Figure one indicated that the liquid media had the highest number of
leaves, length and width of leaves and the sawdust medium had the lowest in all
growth parameters.

Numbers
7
6
5
4
Number of leaves 3
2
1
0
Charcoal Liquid Sawdust

Treatment

Figure 1 above shows the comparison of the number of leaves between the three
mediums.

Width
8
6
4
Width of main leaf (cm)
2
0
Charcoal Liquid Sawdust

Treatments

Figure 2 above shows the comparison of the width of the leaves between the three
mediums.

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 Length

Length of leaves

Charcoal Liquid Sawdust

Treatments

Figure three above shows the comparison of length of the lettuce leaves among the
three mediums.
The line graphs represent the fluctuations in the growth of each parameter through
the six weeks period. There were an increase in the growth parameters throughout
the period. However, the liquid and charcoal had higher growth in all of their
parameters each week until the termination of the experiment.

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18
16
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Length of leaves (cm) 10
Charcoal
8 Liquid Sawdust
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5
Weeks

Figure four above shows the length of the lettuce leaves, in the three different
mediums, over a span of five weeks.

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 Charcoal
Width of leaves (cm)
Liquid
Sawdust

1 2 3 4 5
Weeks

Figure five above shows the width of the lettuce plants within the different
mediums over a span of five weeks.
7
6
5
4
Charcoal
Number of leaves 3
Liquid
2 Sawdust

1
0
1 2 3 4 5
Weeks

Figure six above shows the number of leaves of the lettuce plants within the three
different mediums over s five week period.

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Discussion
All three (3) means are different from one another. It was clear to see that the
length of the lettuce leaves did not show any similarities. This allowed the
researcher one to a conclusion that the lettuces were growing at a different rate
with the liquid base in the liquid followed by charcoal and lastly, in the sawdust.
Similar conclusions can be made for the width of the leaves over the five week
period.
There are 2 groups (A and B) in which the means are not significantly different
from one another. She also noticed while analyzing the data, that the leaf number
of charcoal and the liquid base over the five week period were shockingly very
close. The liquid base being just 0.1 above charcoal, unfortunately the same cannot
be said for sawdust which was way lower than the two.
The liquid base showed to do better than the rest.
Reasons for this included; not all the roots were immersed in the liquid base,
therefore it allowed for root aeration, nutrients were always available for the plants
unlike the rest which constantly needed to be watered. Water logging more than
likely occurred which blocked the roots from respiring this may have been
detrimental to the growth. The sawdust showed to be thin and powdery this feature
led to the saturation, caching and compaction of the roots and didnt allow for
much aeration.
With any hydroponic system, and/or any type of growing media, the goal is still the
same. You just need the roots to be moist, not soggy and saturated. If the growing
media is saturated and soggy, the roots will suffocate from lack of oxygen. That
situation can easily lead to roots dying, and root rot. The liquid medium perfectly
catered for all of the plants needs above the other two mediums, and that is why the
performance of lettuce growth produced by it exceeded the other two mediums.

Conclusion
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In conclusion we can say that the liquid base had the highest mean growth
followed by the charcoal medium and lastly the sawdust medium.

Recommendations

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 A) Ensure that extra nutrients and water is added to all the plants (liquid
version also) on a daily basis because the water is readily evaporated and
taken in by the roots of the plants.

B) The liquid version is most recommended, this is so because it utilizes less

of the nutrients. The nutrients mixed well with the water unlike the other
solid mediums which did not always allow for all of the nutrients applied
to reach the roots.

Bibliography
a) Name of Article: Growth Technology: Hydroponics

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 Author: Dax Sears
Address: http://www.growthtechnology.com/growtorial/what-is-hydroponic-
growing/
b) Name of Article: Hydroponics At Home for Beginners
Author: Leslie Coleman
Address: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponics---at-Home-and-for-
Beginners/
c) Name of Article: Hydroponics Information
Author: Johnathan Elias
Address: http://www.hydroponicsfarming.com/Hydroponics-
Information.html
d) Name of Article: Hydro-Agriculture: Understanding Hydroponics
Author: Researcher at MIT
Address: http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2015/2015/hydro_agriculture.html

Reference
The abstract was taken from:
Name of Book: Commercial Hydroponics, Third Edition
Author: John Mason
Article: An Introduction to the World of Hydroponics;
What it is, History; How plants grow; Classification of hydroponic
systems; Overview of the industry; Why practice hydroponics?
Page Number: 7-15 of 7-38

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