HOW THE NUTRIENT LEVEL AFFECTS THE GROWTH OF THE BRASSICA RAPA By: Kaitie Kudlac, Jordan Zatopek, Dylan Day, and Emily Huntington Biology 9

Purpose/Hypothesis  The purpose is to determine the affects of nutrient level on the trichome of rapid-cycling Brassica rapa.  The hypothesis is if the Brassica rapa plant is placed in a high nutrient environment, it will then have a larger trichome number because the more nutrient put in the soil, the healthier the plant will be.

Background  Life Cycle of a Regular Plant  Vocabulary:  First true leaf  Trichome  Trichomes  History of the Brassica rapa  Fast Plants

Experimental Design  Independent Variable: high and low nutrient levels  Dependant variables: height and trichome number  Experimental Group: B. rapa plants in separate bottles filled with either high or low nutrient soil(NPK)  Control Group: None

Constants  Plant Type  Temperature of Environment  Constant Water Supply  Light Supply  Distance from Plants to Light  How Data was Recorded

Synopsis of Methodology  Over the course of 26 days  6 measurements were taken  Measurements were taken on Day 6, 8,12,14,16, and 26  Height was measured from soil to the apex  Trichomes measured by counting trichomes on edge of first true leaf

Apparatus The red arrow is pointing to a trichome found during the process of taking our data.

Graphs

Conclusion  The data supports the hypothesis to a degree.  P=GxE and the Nature versus Nurture Argument  Mistakes: Over Watering and Decapitation  Improvements: Change the environment and change IV’s