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Kinnon Rockness

Dr. Heidlauf

ENVR-212

3 May 2021

Effects of Soil Salinity on Plant Growth Rates

Kinnon Rockness, Olivia Eisses, Brianna Barba

Introduction:

During the growth cycle of plants, there are a variety of factors that may affect

development. One of these factors is the salinization of soil. Soil is impacted by salt used to

de-ice roads during the winter months, as salt contaminates runoff and is thrown onto the sides of

roads being plowed. As salt accumulates, the salinity of soil increases. High salinity levels in soil

may also be caused by careless irrigation in arid regions. The brassica rapa, a member of the

cabbage and mustard family, completes an entire growth cycle in about 40 days. Due to their

rapid growth cycles, these plants are useful in plant breeding research and biology studies. The

brassica rapa are useful in experimenting and observing the impacts of soil salinity on plants.

These studies contribute to understanding what kind of impacts human development has on the

environment. This knowledge helps in making decisions, such as how much salt can be added to

de-ice roads without causing harmful effects on surrounding wildlife.

The purpose of this study is to explore how the salt concentration in soil affects the

growth and development of plants. The research question being answered is: “Over a four-week

time period, how does the concentration of salt in soil affect the growth and development of the

plant brassica rapa?” Through this small-scale experiment, one may discover how salt used to

de-ice roads has an impact on nearby plant growth. Three aspects of plant growth will be
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observed: time to first germination, time to first flowering, and plant growth rate. It was

hypothesized that if soil salinity is increased, plants will germinate slower, time to flowering will

be longer, and plant height growth rate will be slower. Plant height will also be shorter following

the four-week period.

Methods:

In this lab, experimenters will prepare, plant, maintain, and observe the growth of the

brassica rapa to assess the impacts of soil salinity on plant growth. The independent variable is

the salt concentration in the soil, and the dependent variable is the plant growth and

development. Four different salt concentrations were used: 0% salinity, .25% salinity, .75%

salinity, and 1.5% salinity. The 0% salinity level will be used as the control of this experiment.

Per concentration group, four samples will be taken.

To set up the experiment, four styrofoam quads will be used . Each quad will contain a

different level of salinity, labeled on the side of the quad. First, wicks must be placed in each cell

so that the tip extends 1 or 2 centimeters out of the hole in the bottom. Using the appropriate soil

as labeled, fill in each cell of a given quad halfway with soil. Add three yellow fertilizer pellets

to the soil, and fill in the rest of each cell with the appropriate soil type. Create a depression in

each cell by pressing lightly, and place three seeds in each depression. Make sure that the seeds

are evenly spaced. Cover the seeds by sprinkling a layer of the appropriate soil. Using a pipette,

gently water each cell until water drips from the tip of each wick. Place each quad on a water

apparatus located underneath grow lights to mimic sunlight. The wicks coming out of the bottom

of the cells should be damp and seated firmly on the wet mat.

The plants must be cared for every day, Monday through Friday, for four weeks. Group

members will be assigned to care for and record observations on certain days. Data that should
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be collected will include: plant growth, measured by height in centimeters, germination, and

flowering. All plant data will be recorded in a shared group data chart kept in the lab room. Data

observed and recorded will include the number of plants alive in each quad, average plant height

in cm (in each quad), and the number of germinated and/or flowering plants. Each plant will be

measured using a ruler, starting from the base of the plant to the highest tip. The measurements

of all four plants in a quad will be averaged to record the height.

Along with plant data, plants should be watered each day. Using a pipette, water each

quad until wicks begin to drip. At day four, each cell should be thinned to one plant by clipping

the stems off of unneeded plants. If any group does not have multiple plants germinated or

growing by this time, thinning may be done as the extra plants emerge later on. Once plants

reach 10 cm in height or start to look wobbly, stakes must be placed in the soil near the plant and

the stem should be secured by rubber grips. Once flowering starts, gently rub a black pollination

brush over the flowers to assist in pollination. Repeat this process for the first three days after

flowering starts.

After four weeks of plant care, all of the recorded data should be compiled and organized

into Google sheets. Each individual lab group’s data will then be compiled with data from the

entire class so that the findings may be analyzed. The data gathered by the whole class will

reflect the average plant height (in cm) over four weeks based on the salinity, and the average

time to germination and flowering for each level of salinity. Data tables should be converted into

two bar graphs that reflect this data so that experimenters may visualize and interpret the data.

The comparison of plant growth levels will provide an indication of the effects of soil salinity on

plant growth.

Results:
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Table 1 (seen below) shows a results table of the compiled data collected by every single group,

displaying the data for average plant height per day for each level of soil salinity.

Table 1

Average Plant Height in Centimeters

Low Medium High

Day Control (0.25%) (0.75%) (1.50%)
0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.0
3 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.0
4 1.4 1.4 0.9 1.0
5 1.7 2.4 1.2 1.2
6 2.3 1.8 1.1 1.0
7 2.6 2.3 1.4 1.3
8 3.0 2.7 1.6 1.4
9 3.4 2.8 1.8 1.4
10 3.9 3.5 1.9 1.4
11 4.2 4.0 2.3 1.9
12 5.0 5.0 3.0 2.2
13 4.7 4.6 2.6 1.9
14 5.6 5.6 3.1 2.2
15 6.1 6.1 3.5 2.3
16 6.6 8.0 3.9 2.6
17 6.8 8.4 3.9 3.0
18 10.2 11.3 7.4 4.7
19 10.6 11.4 7.2 4.0
20 10.1 10.7 6.3 4.2
21 10.5 10.8 5.5 4.3
22 11.7 12.1 7.4 5.0
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23 10.9 12.3 6.1 5.3

24 11.3 11.5 6.8 5.2
25 14.2 12.9 8.4 6.0
26 15.8 14.1 9.8 5.9
27 13.2 12.9 8.2 5.8
28 14.3 14.8 10.1 6.4
29 15.0 16.8 11.0 11.1

Data table 1 (above) shows that the soil sample with the highest salinity almost always

had the shortest average height. The soil samples with 0% and .25% salinity had similar growth

rates. Plant height for these salinity levels were always very close, and even happened to be the

same on certain days. Both the control group and the .25% salinity group had consistently taller

heights than the .75% and 1.5% salinity groups. The control group and .25% salinity group also

displayed a more rapid growth rate than the other groups. On day 13 and day 27, average height

for each soil sample salinity decreased. A decrease in average height also occurred on day 20,

with the exception of the 1.5% salinity group.

Table 2 (seen below) shows a results table of the data collected representing average days

to germination and days to first flower for each level of soil salinity.

Table 2

First Day of Developmental Endpoint

Low Medium High

Control (0.25%) (0.75%) (1.50%)
Day of first
germination 3.7 3.4 5.8 7.7
Day of first flower 19.6 18.9 21.8 23.5
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Data table 2 (above) shows that the plants in the 0% and .25% salinity groups were the

first to germinate, both experiencing the first day of germination on day 3. They were also the

first to flower, which typically occurred on day 19. The plants in the .75% salinity group

germinated after an average of about 5 days, and flowered after an average of about 21 days. The

plants with the highest salinity level took the longest to germinate and flower, with germination

typically occurring on day 7 and flowering typically occurring on day 23.

Discussion:

Figure 1. Average Plant Height in Centimeters

The data in Figure 1 shows the average plant height in the different salinity levels across

the four week experimentation period. The control, low (.25%), and medium (.75%) salinity

groups had similar growth rates during the first few days of the developmental process, but after

day 5, the .75% salinity group showed a decrease in growth rate. The high salinity group (1.5%)
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showed a significantly slower growth rate, not even showing growth until day 4. Figure 1 shows

that the salinity groups often peaked on the same days. It may be assumed that these dramatic

increases in height occurred on Mondays. Plants were not watered on the weekends, thus data

was not recorded over a period of two days. During this time, it is likely that the plants would

have experienced a greater increase in height. The averages for each salinity group experienced a

drop at some point during the four-week period. This may have been due to the fact that certain

groups missed a day of watering and data recording. If a group with taller plants missed a day,

the average would be brought down. The group with the highest salinity level (1.5%) also

experienced the most consistent growth rate, with the fewest decreases in growth. These trends

may suggest that lower salinity level increases growth rate at a faster rate, while higher salinity

level contributes to a steadier, yet slower growth rate.

In general, Figure 1 shows that high salinity levels have a negative effect on plant growth

rate and development, based on height (in cm) recorded. In every sample, an increase in height

was recorded, meaning that salinity does not prevent growth completely. However, the data

shows a correlation between high salinity levels and a slower growth rate as well as shorter plant

height. The two highest salinity levels, .75% and 1.5%, had consistently lower plant heights than

the lower salinity levels (0% and .25%). The final heights of the plants also demonstrated that the

plants with the highest salinity levels were significantly lower. The average final height of the

1.5% salinity group was 11.1 cm and 11 cm for the .75% salinity group. The average final height

for the control group was 15 cm, and 16.8 cm for the .25% salinity group. The low final average

height in correlation to the increase in salinity provides evidence that salinity negatively affects

the growth and development of the brassica rapa plant.

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The results shown in Figure 1 may be used in a practical application to the real world, as

it has been concluded that increasing salinity negatively affects plant growth. During winter

months where salt is used to de-ice roadways, the salt concentration in runoff from roads can be

measured. Plants being affected by the runoff may be observed and monitored by measuring the

salinity level of soils. To ensure that the levels of salt concentration are not harmful to the plant

life cycle, it should be taken into consideration that excess amounts of salt on roads may be

damaging. The data collected from this experiment may be used in the future when deciding how

much salt will be used on roads. By observing the health and growth of plants, regulations can be

put into place to avoid further harm to ecosystems and the overall environment.

Figure 2 (below) also shows a correlation between salinity level and time it takes for

plants to germinate. Based on the data collected, the average results show that when the salinity

level increases, the rate of germination decreases. The plants in the .75% salinity level group

took two additional days than the .25% salinity group, and the 1.5% salinity group took four

additional days. The control group and .25% salinity group both germinated on the third day.

From this data, it may be concluded that a higher salt concentration negatively impacts the

germination rate of the brassica rapa plant.

The data shows increased salinity levels slowing down germination rates, but there is no

significant change in the amount of days it took for the control group and low salinity (.25%)

group to germinate. Based on this information, it may be concluded that low salinity levels do

not affect the germination rate of the brassica rapa. However, medium and high salinity levels

have a negative impact on plant growth. Therefore, it may be concluded that high salinity levels

contribute to slow germination rate of the brassica rapa plant.

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Soil salinity also affects the rate at which plants flower, as shown in Figure 3 (below).

There was a difference of 5 days between the fastest and slowest times to flower, with the first

plant flowering on day 18 and the slowest plants flowering on day 23. The fastest plant to flower

was from the .25% salinity group, which occurred a day before the control group (which

flowered on day 19). This margin is very close, and makes it hard to conclude that a low level of

salinity speeds up the flowering process. This difference in time it took to flower may have

occurred due to an error by the experimenters. Similarly to the germination rates, the .75%

salinity plants took the second highest number of days to flower, and the 1.5% salinity group was

the slowest to flower. Overall, the difference in days that it took each salinity group to experience

flowering was not very significant. Based on the data it may be concluded that higher levels of

salinity negatively affect the rate of flowering, but a larger sample size may have helped to

determine this with confidence.

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Conclusion:

The purpose of this experiment was to measure the impacts of soil salinity on growth and

development of the brassica rapa plant. The hypothesis stated, “If soil salinity is increased, plants

will germinate slower, time to flowering will be longer, and plant height growth rate will be

slower. Plant height will also be shorter following the four-week period.” This hypothesis was

ultimately supported by the results of this experiment. This experiment gives insight on the

impacts that road salt may have on surrounding plants and ecosystems. From the observations

made during this study, regulations may be made to prevent harmful side effects of salt on roads.

This data may be used in the future to preserve the beautiful plants and creatures of our planet!