94522

Rationale

The growth of Vigna radiata (mung beans) is being experimented under different wavelengths of
light throughout the absorption spectrum to measure the change in biomass over a 7-day growth
period. Photosynthesis is the process undertaken by a plant which converts light to chemical energy.
This occurs when the plant receives carbon dioxide and water along with light energy to create
glucose (chemical energy) and oxygen in the chloroplast (Dobrijevic, 2022). Photosynthesis is a
necessary component of the carbon cycle due to the creation of biomass (mass of all living and dead
organic matter), which is important as the stored chemical energy is transferred to higher trophic
levels in the ecosystem. After being burnt, biomass can be renewed as it enters the photosynthesis
equation as CO2.

6CO2 + 6H2O + Light Energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb light energy of different wavelengths as well as providing a green
pigment to the plant (Chlorophyll, National Geographic Society, 2022). The energy converted by the
chlorophyll allows for growth and the increase in biomass, which is the dependent variable. By using
chemical energy stored within the seeds in the form of proteins and carbohydrates, Vigna radiata
can germinate in darkness faster than when in light (Kirkland, P, 2021). With this understanding, the
change in biomass of Vigna radiata is being investigated over a 7-day period under red, blue, and
white lights as well as darkness to evaluate the wavelength suitable for efficient growth of the bean.
Chlorophyll has the highest absorbance rate for blue and red light with wavelengths of 400-460nm
and 650-700nm (Bruce F. Milne, 2015). Meaning a green pigment should be visible while under blue
and red lights as well as white due to it containing the whole wavelength spectrum. As the
chlorophyll is more efficient, an increase in biomass should be observed. However, when in darkness
there is an inability for the bean to absorb light which will affect the role of the chlorophyll
eventually, inhibiting growth if no sunlight is received. By measuring the change in biomass for each
seed a relationship can be distinguished which evaluates the growth under each light.

Research Question

Do varying wavelengths (nm) of light such as red and blue, have a significant effect on the amount of
wet biomass (g) of Vigna radiata compared to white light and darkness over a growth period of
seven days?
Risk Assessment

Risk identified Mitigation Strategy(s)

Safety - Broken glass - Caution when handling, prevent leaving

it on the edge of a bench.
- Spilling liquids - If spillages occur, notify surrounding
people, and clean up well to prevent
slipping hazards.

Environmental - Excess waste - Re-using plastic equipment to prevent

waste and landfill.

- Dispose Vigna radiata - Dispose seeds into the bin to prevent

correctly swelling and blockage of pipelines.

Ethical - Releasing seeds into
environment after
being in a lab setting
- If the seeds make it out of the lab into
the environment and are consumed by
animals, they may contain harmful
chemicals from the lab so seeds should
be disposed into the bin.

Brief overview of original experiment

To measure the change in biomass of Vigna radiata each bean was weighed to record the initial
mass. The bottom of a petri dish was lined with cotton wool which was soaked with water.
Quadrants were drawn on the lid of the petri dish to label each bean and this was repeated for each
light condition (2 light, 2 dark). After 4 days the beans were taken out and weighed on an electric
balance to record the final mass which was used to calculate the change in mass. (Sautner. J, 2019)

Modifications to original experiment

The original experiment has been modified by measuring the effect of different wavelengths as a
limiting factor on biomass production. This is justified by the additional independent variables
targeting growth under specific wavelengths using LED lights (red and blue) rather than white light
containing the whole spectrum. By extending the experiment to include red and blue wavelengths
the growth conditions become more specific to measure biomass production as the best
wavelengths for photosynthesis fall between blue (450nm) and red (650nm) (Vernier, 2018). The
growth period was also increased to 7-days as it allows for more reliable data to be collected as the
seeds have a higher chance to show greater change.
Processed Data

To analyse the relationship between change in biomass and light:

- Percentage change in mass was calculated to compensate for different starting masses of
seeds.
- The mean was calculated for each light type to be used as a central average for future
calculations and graphs.
- The standard deviation was found to be used as a measure of distance from the mean as
well as error bars for graphs.
- A confidence interval is used to determine reliability of the results.
- A T-test was used as a measure of significance between variables.

Table 1: Sample Calculations

Calculation Example
Change in Mass Sample calculation from Table 2, Trial 1, No Light

change=final−initial
0.65−0.21=0.44

% Change in Mass and % Difference Sample calculation from Table 2, Trial 1, No Light

final−initial
×100 %
initial

0.65−0.21
×100 %
0.21

0.44
× 100 %
0.21

¿ 209.52 %
Mean (Average)
 Standard Deviation

Confidence Interval

Descriptive Stats was used in the Data

Analysis section with a confidence
interval of 95%

2 Tail T-Test

Excel function (TTEST) was used with the

tails set to: 2, and the type set to: 2.

Table 2: Raw Data Gathered from Experiment

NO WHIT RED BLUE

TRIA LIGH E LIGH LIGH
L T LIGHT T T
Initial Final Chang Initial Final Chang Initial Final Chang Initial Final Chang
(g) (g) e (g) (g) (g) e (g) (g) (g) e (g) (g) (g) e (g)
1 0.21 0.65 0.44 0.18 0.42 0.24 0.13 0.42 0.29 0.23 0.63 0.40
2 0.14 0.34 0.20 0.17 0.32 0.15 0.19 0.63 0.44 0.22 0.46 0.24
3 0.17 0.73 0.56 0.17 0.54 0.37 0.17 0.62 0.45 0.15 0.37 0.22
4 0.17 0.68 0.51 0.13 0.4 0.27 0.19 0.53 0.34 0.16 0.57 0.41
5 0.14 0.75 0.61 0.09 0.43 0.34 0.14 0.48 0.34 0.23 0.43 0.20
6 0.17 0.68 0.51 0.18 0.27 0.09 0.13 0.74 0.61 0.16 0.48 0.32
7 0.18 0.3 0.12 0.19 0.46 0.27 0.17 0.46 0.29 0.18 0.32 0.14
 8 0.18 0.79 0.61 0.17 0.45 0.28 0.18 0.64 0.46 0.13 0.53 0.40
9 0.16 0.4 0.24 0.18 0.46 0.28 0.20 0.58 0.38 0.15 0.51 0.36
10 0.21 0.74 0.53 0.14 0.38 0.24 0.20 0.73 0.53 0.14 0.49 0.35

Table 3: Processed Data (% Change in Mass of Vigna radiata)

WHITE RED BLUE

NO LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT
TRIAL (%) (%) (%) (%)
1 209.52 133.33 223.08 173.91
2 142.86 88.24 231.58 109.09
3 329.41 217.65 264.71 146.67
4 300.00 207.69 178.95 256.25
5 435.71 377.78 242.86 86.96
6 300.00 50.00 469.23 200.00
7 66.67 142.11 170.59 77.78
8 338.89 164.71 255.56 307.69
9 150.00 155.56 190.00 240.00
10 252.38 171.43 265.00 250.00
AVERAGE 252.54 170.85 249.15 184.83
STDEV 110.74 88.38 84.72 78.93
CONFIDENCE 79.22 63.22 60.60 56.46
P-Value White
+ Red 0.001
P-Value Red +
Blue 0.026

Interpretation: Table 3 presents the calculated percentage change in mass for Vigna radiata over
the growth period of 7 days. By analysing the data, darkness (no light) had the greatest average
percentage change in mass of 252.54% therefore, the greatest growth. However, this result lacks
precision as it contains the highest standard deviation value of 110.74% causing a large spread
around the mean. Red light also had significantly larger growth than both white and blue light with
its average growth of 249.15% with a percentage difference of 45.82% more than the control
(white). The P-value for both pairs of variables is below 0.05 suggesting that there is a significant
difference between the averages of the change in mass for the compared light types. However, the
P-value for white and red is lower (0.001 < 0.026) meaning the difference between wavelength and
biomass production has an even lower chance to be due to random chance or error.
Graph 1: Percentage Change in Mass of Vigna radiata

Percentage Change in Mass of Vigna radiata Under

Different Lights With Standard Deviation Error Bars
300.00

250.00
% Change in Mass (%)

200.00

150.00

100.00

50.00

0.00
NO LIGHT WHITE RED BLUE
Type of Light

Interpretation: Graph 1 shows the percentage change in mass of Vigna radiata under different types
of light (no light, white, red, blue). The graph uses the average percentage change in mass values
from Table 3 to compare using bars. The standard deviation error bars shown in Graph 1 are very
large above and below the mean, suggesting that there is a high level of uncertainty with each
result, with no light being most notably, the largest. The error bars for each type of light are
overlapping, which states that the difference in results is not statistically significant. This means that
a statistical test (T-test) was used to determine a P-value to validate the significance of each mean.

Figure 1: Photo of Vigna radiata Growth After 7 Days (No light: Left, White: Right)

Figure 2: Photo of Vigna radiata Growth After 7 Days (Blue: Left, Red: Right
Analysis:

The data gathered from the experiment show that no light and red light motivate the greatest
growth of Vigna radiata. This is due to the large percentage change in mass averages of 252.54% for
no light and 249.15% for red light. However, no light has the largest confidence value of ±79.22%
around the mean. This suggests a low precision of results due to a large spread. The two light types
can also be compared using Figure 1 & Figure 2 with no light causing a dull white colour with
minimal amounts of yellow leaves. However, light, blue, and red light show green stems as well as
leaves. While red and no light have close averages, the growths appear completely different, and it
appears that red creates a healthier plant. No light has a standard deviation of 110.74% which has a
23.49% difference than the red-light standard deviation of 84.72%. This suggests that the red light
shows less difference between trials than no light which had varying amounts of biomass
production. On the lower end of growth, Graph 1 shows that the average percentage change in mass
for Vigna radiata grown under blue light was larger than white light (control). White light also has a
larger standard deviation of 88.38% as well as a higher confidence value of 63.22% suggesting that
the white light lacks more reliability and precision than blue light. With this evidence, it is concluded
that white light demonstrates the lowest growth of Vigna radiata as there was less change in
biomass over the growth period.

Evaluation

Due to overlapping error bars, the data gained from this experiment contains uncertainties as well as
limitations. The experimental method also contributes to the lack of reliability and validity for the
data which is shown by the large standard deviation of each trial averages. No light and white light
contain the highest standard deviation values indicating an inconsistency with the data surrounding
the mean. The high standard deviation of these points causes them to overlap with blue and red
results affecting the significant difference between the results. The large standard deviation of these
results can allude to a small sample size which can be considered as a limitation to the experiment
due to affecting the reliability. To achieve more precise and valid results, the sample size should be
considered as an improvement of the method.

The higher standard deviation of white light (88.38%) can also be attributed to the lightbulb that was
used to grow the seeds. The light was not LED like those used for red and blue trials and the intensity
was not able to be changed. This can influence the growth of Vigna radiata as greater intensities of
light could enhance the rate of photosynthesis. For future investigations, the light intensities should
be more closely controlled by using a lux meter to measure the intensity. By extending the
experiment to include light intensity, the reliability of results would increase due to equal testing
variables.

Sources of error throughout the experiment include the use of the electronic balance which only
measured to 2 decimal places. The validity of results can be increased by using a balance with
greater than 2 decimal places to pick up subtle changes in the weight of each trial. Other sources of
error can include the short time span of the experiment. The seeds were only left to grow for a week
before being measured however, letting the seeds grow closer to their maturity of 70-80 days
(AMA,2023) can allow a greater change in biomass to be measured as well as giving seeds which
germinated slower the chance to show a more significant change.

To extend the experiment, the Vigna radiata should be dehydrated before it is weighed for the final
time. By doing this, the dry biomass will be measured which enhances the validity of the experiment
as water contains no transferrable energy. Another extension can include the addition of a new
species of seeds against the same light types. This extends the experiment to test whether the
growth under different light colours is due to genetic differences specific to Vigna radiata. This can
increase validity as the experiment could be repeated to discover which wavelengths suit the
majority of plants to show the largest change in biomass.
Conclusion

The data suggests that the change in biomass of Vigna radiata is somewhat affected by the light in
which it is germinated and grown under. This is shown in Table 2 as the percentage change in mass
of no light is 252.54% while white light is only 170.85%. The difference in these results is vast with a
81.69% difference between the results. Red showed a percentage change in mass of 249.15% while
blue was 184.83%. These results show that red and no light were ideal for Vigna radiata to
germinate and begin growth. However, these results are affected by uncertainties and limitations
such as different light intensities, low sample size and decreased accuracy with the electronic
balance. If the experiment is repeated, Vigna radiata should be dehydrated to show the true
biomass as well as increasing the sample size to improve precision and lower the standard deviation.
Reference List

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https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/chlorophyll

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‌Kirkland, P. (2021). March Phenomenon: Light vs. Darkness. // Center for STEM Education. Retrieved

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https://stemeducation.nd.edu/resources/scientific-phenomena/april-phenomenon

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Oxford

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