Due to an increasing global population, food demands have risen. Continual crop growth leaves soil lacking in nutrients, resulting in poor harvest. Solid and liquid fertilisers are ways to restore these vital nutrients; however both have different purposes and effects. To determine which fertiliser is more beneficial, an experimental investigation has been set up to test the effects of solid and liquid fertiliser on the growth of a tomato plant.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the three most important nutrients required for a plant’s survival. Nitrogen, an element found in all cells, is a major part of all amino acids (Bozeman, 2004) and is essential for plant growth and fruit production (CS, Unknown). In a process called Nitrogen fixation, dinitrogen (N2) is converted into ammonia (NH3) by nodules formed by a symbiotic relationship between legumes and soil bacteria called Rhizobia. The ammonia is transported into plant tissues where it is transformed into amino acids that are used in various plant processes (Boundless.com, Unknown).
Phosphorus is an essential element for photosynthesis, the process in which plants create food (CS, Unknown). Energy from the sun, absorbed by chlorophyll pigments, excites electrons in chlorophyll molecules which are transported to an electron acceptor. The energy is used to create Adenosine Triphosphate and split water molecules, absorbed through the roots, into hydrogen and oxygen ions. The hydrogen ions (H+) are stored in the thylakoid membrane, and the oxygen (O2) is diffused as waste. Hydrogen ions and electrons are taken up through the NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) where NADPH2 is formed. The ADP and NADPH2 reduce CO2 from the air into carbon molecules. These compo...
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...id fertiliser’s slow release of nutrients and slow effects, plants may not receive nutrients fast enough to prevent disease or deficiencies. Therefore it is hypothesised that due to its quick and sometimes instantaneous effects, liquid fertiliser will promote better plant growth’. Future experiments to test this could be testing how different levels of nutrients in fertilisers affect plant growth, testing whether organic or chemical fertilisers promote better plant growth, or testing different plant’s responses to the same type of fertiliser.
The results of this experiment have shown that plants respond better to liquid fertiliser due to its quick effects. However it has also shown that the effects are temporary and that solid fertiliser, although slow to react is better over longer periods of time. It is due to this that a clear comparison is unable to be made.
Two members of the group were instructed to visit the laboratory each day of the experiment to water and measure the plants (Handout 1). The measurements that were preformed were to be precise and accurate by the group by organizing a standardized way to measure the plants. The plants were measured from the level of the soil, which was flat throughout all the cups, to the tip of the apical meristems. The leaves were not considered. The watering of the plants took place nearly everyday, except for the times the lab was closed. Respective of cup label, the appropriate drop of solution was added to the plant, at the very tip of the apical meristems.
Our subject plant for this experiment is Helianthus annuus, a common sunflower plant cultivated all over the world for its seeds and seed oil. Helianthus is an annual plant that grows from 1 to 3 meters, depending on conditions. It is for this reason I chose Helianthus as our subject plant. Shorter plants have a less measurable variable. Helianthus plants, with their long straight stems, would have a much easier variable to measure. A total of 24 Helianthus plants, six to each pot, will be used in the treatment. The large number of subject plants is because of genetic variation that might sway my results if I were to use only a single treatment pot.
Leonardi, C., & Giuffrida, F. (2006). Variation of Plant Growth and Macronutrient Uptake in Grafted Tomatoes and Eggplants on Three Different Rootstocks.
Hypothesis 2: If different de icing techniques are used, then sodium chloride will have a larger negative impact on the growth of Tall Fescue grass because salt dehydrates plants.
Although considered faster and cheaper, this approach to providing other alternative resources to food is slowly but significantly drying up our plant and is compromising human health. Because of the increa...
increased levels of proteins in crops. It is also beneficial by helping the plants to be
One thing I could have done to improve my experiment was to have used a more secure lid on the growth tray to have ensured that all moisture would have stayed in the appropriate area. This makes me less confident about my data because there is a possibility that it could have disrupted the moisture levels in the soil and could have minorly diluted or concentrated
Two types of gravimetric analysis were used in this experiment, precipitation and volatilization. Volatilization and principles of constant weighing were used to determine moisture content of a fertilizer sample. A crucible was brought to constant weight, both while dry and when the fertilizer sample was added. A type of gravimetric analysis, precipitation, was used to determine the percent phosphorus and percent phosphorus pentoxide of the same sample. MgNH5PO4 was precipitated out of the fertilizer sample, and used to compute the percent P2O5, the phosphorus used in fertilizers. This fertilizer sample was found to have 0.929% moisture. Phosphorus content of the sample on a wet basis was 4.388% P and 10.073% P2O5, and on a dry basis, it was
In plant growth, many factors take place for the plant to grow effectively such as: temperature, nourishment, and sunlight. In order for plants to grow at a steady pace they require stable lighting, stable temperature, and daily nutrients in order to grow properly. My fellow colleagues and I are testing whether or not Osmocote fertilizer treatment will have an outstanding effect on growth of the mung bean seeds. A fertilizer is a substance that is added to the soil to increase fertility. The osmocote fertilizer is a chemical which helps plants grow better and faster due to the nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium in its fertilizer. The osmocote fertilizer is a necessity to extend the life of plants because of its high percentage of trace elements (Zekri
Conventional agriculture involves the use of large portions of land and excess amounts water to grow crops. The improper use of soil and water resources for agricultural purposes leads to environmental degradation on many levels . Soil erosion and nutrient depletion have become a widespread result of improper soil care and inefficient irrigation techniques. Hydroponic farming serves as an alternative to conventional agriculture and is a resource efficient and environmentally friendly way to produce crops, in terms of both land and water conservation. This alternative farming practice has great potential to lessen the environmental impacts caused by water and soil misusage in conventional farming.
In the last few years farmers and nursery men are much concerned about the potting media as it play an important role in plant production. There is a continuing interest by using various agricultural by-products as an organic nutrient source for plants due to increasing awareness of environment-related issues, as well as the need to dispose off and use rising amounts of waste (Grigatti, 2008).
Nutrient providence is an important factor in plant growth. It determines the health of the plant and its overall longevity.
However, it is often converted to other substances making it easier to handle. First ammonia and air are mixed in a tank to produce nitric acid. In the presence of a catalyst, a reaction occurs which converts the ammonia to nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is further reacted in the presence of water to produce nitric acid. Nitric acid and ammonia are used to make ammonium nitrate. Its high concentration of nitrogen makes this material a good fertilizer component. Finally, it can then be stored until it is ready to be granulated and blended with the other fertilizer components.
12. B. Hanson and D. May, “Effect of subsurface drip irrigation on processing tomato yield, water table depth, soil salinity, and profitability”, Agricultural Water Management, Vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 1-17, July, 2004.
Nitrogen fertilizer is often synthesized using the Haber-Bosch process, which produces ammonia. This ammonia is then used to produce other compounds (notably anhydrous ammonium nitrate and urea) which can be applied to fields. These concentrated products may be used as fertilizer or diluted with water to form a concentrated liquid fertilizer, UAN. Ammonia can also be used in combination with rock phosphate and potassium fertilizer to produce compound fertilizers.