Expt #12

Date: 8th March,2019.

Title: Planning and Designing #2- The effect of Magnesium ions on plant growth

Problem Statement: Plants can be grown in glasshouses, using hydroponics. Hydroponics is a method of
growing plants that replaces soil with solutions containing mineral ions. Plan and design an investigation
to find the optimum concentration of magnesium ions in the mineral ion solution used to grow the
plants.

Introduction:

Magnesium is categorized as a metal, which has many benefits for both humans and plants. Specifically,
in plants, magnesium ions (Mg 2+ ions) are used by plants to make chlorophyll in their leaves. Without
this component, plants will not be able to grow properly or produce their own food, since these plants
will not be able to capture the necessary light energy.

Hypothesis:

A high concentration of Mg2+ ions present in the mineral ion solution, instead of soil, will cause better
plant growth in comparison to a plant with a low concentration of Mg 2+ ions.

Aim: To plan and design an experiment to determine the concentration of magnesium ions needed for
optimum plant growth.

Apparatus/ Materials

Gravel, Magnesium sulfate, distilled water, 250 cm 3 beakers, ruler, 5 identical kidney beans, scale

Variables:

Controlled Variable: Position of seedlings, Type of seed grown

Manipulated: the concentration of magnesium ions in the solution

Responding: The change in the height of the plant

Procedure:

1. Label six beakers: 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. Make 10cm 3 of each solution as
stipulated in the table below. Place the solutions in the respective beakers.

Table 1: Dilution series of Magnesium ions

Concentration of Mg2+ ions/ % 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Mass of Magnesium sulfate/ g 0 40 80 120 160 200
3
Volume of distilled water/ cm 200 200 200 200 200 200
 2. Using a scale, weigh 75g of gravel and place into five 250 cm 3 beakers. Label each beaker
corresponding to a concentration of Mg2+.
3. Using a ruler, add a kidney bean 5cm3 below the surface of the gravel in each beaker in the
same position.
4. Add 200 cm3 of each solution to the corresponding labelled beaker.
5. Place all the beakers in the same place.
6. Using a ruler measure the height of each plant after 14 days. Record the height of each plant.
7. Repeat Step 6 after another 7 additional days.
8. Use the height recorded to plot a graph of magnesium concentration against height of plant.
9. Using the graph, calculate the optimum concentration of Mg 2+ for plant growth.

Expected Results:

TABLE SHOWING THE HEIGHTS OF PLANTS IN VARIOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF MAGNESIUM IONS OVER
A PERIOD OF 14 DAYS

Concentration of Mg2+ ions in the Plant Height/ cm

solution/ %
7 days 14 days
0
20
40
60
80
100

(Insert Graph here)

Treatment of Results:

Magnesium plays an important role in plant growth and food production in a plant. Magnesium in plants
are absorbed from their surroundings by the roots. It then travels to the plant through the xylem
vessels. It is then used as a component in enzymes present in the chlorophyll molecule. It also plays a
role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and in the cell membrane stabilization. Without enough
magnesium ions present within the plants, it would stunt the growth of a plant. It would also affect the
plant’s ability to produce its own food. This is because the chlorophyll (which the magnesium is a part
of) allows the plant to trap light energy, without this organelle, photosynthesis cannot occur.

As the concentration of Magnesium ions continuously increases it is expected that the rate at which the
plant grows would increase. The plants in a solution with a higher concentration of Mg 2+ would be taller
or would have a better growth in comparison to those with little to no concentration of Mg 2+. This is
because the plants that are in a solution with a higher concentration of magnesium ions are exposed to
more Mg2+ ions, therefore, they will be able to absorb more Mg 2+ ions in comparison to those plants in a
solution with a low concentration Mg2+ ions.
Precautions and Limitations/Assumptions

Precaution: To minimize the occurrence of parallax error of taking the height of the plant, the reading
should be taken eye level with the aid of set square. Also, to prevent the addition of other mineral ions
or additional Mg2+ ions via the gravel added to the beaker, the gravel should be rinsed before the
experiment is conducted.

Assumption: The environment where all the plants placed simulated similar conditions for all plants. It is
assumed that all plants received the same amount of sunlight, carbon dioxide, etc.