Planting Science By: Cameron, Cody, Emma

Research Question? How much difference of percentage of growth will there be between barley receiving no sunlight (indoors), shade, or full sunlight?

Hypothesis If a plant receives full sunlight then it will grow 10% larger than a plant with partial or no sunlight because plants with more sunlight have more energy.

Background Research Plant growth won't occur without light to activate the chlorophyll molecule. If the light provided is not bright enough or in the right part of the spectrum, the plant's total growth and size will be more limited and the plant could even die

What we did? Cut three, one liter- sized bottles in half with scissors. Fill the bottoms halves of each bottle with 450 ml of soil, and dispose of the top halves. Place 5 barley seeds into each new “growth chamber” on the top of the soil and press it firmly down. Measure 25 ml of tap water into a beaker, and pour it into each chamber. Wait for seeds to sprout. Once sprouted, move one chamber outside into full sunlight, move the other next to it, but place an object that will block sunlight from the plant for half of the day, and leave the third chamber indoors away from any windows.

What we did? (Cont.) Each class, including this one, for a total of four more times, repeat watering and measurement. After step four, take a metric ruler or meter stick and measure the tallest sprout to the nearest quarter centimeter. Record the data onto a table and graph. After four classes of recording and watering chambers, dispose of plants and begin to form a conclusion and write a final lab report.

Graph of Growth

Outcome The indoor plant had a growth of 25.5 cm and thus grew the most. This could be due to variables being more consistent than those outdoors. ▫Humidity ▫Temperature ▫Moisture

Suggestions for Future Experiment Carry out lab until barley plant matures completely. Measure barley kernels in quantity rather than growth of plant. Use other types of plants such as corn. Control humidity and temperature variables.

Conclusion We concluded that the best environment to grow barley plants quickly is in an area with little to no direct sunlight, and moist air. Our hypothesis was not supported by our experiment.