Ujani Chakma
Noah Bagwell
Science
Plant Growth
Research Question:
To what extent can Salt Water affect the relationship with Plant growth? (Brassicaceae)
Background
Plants such as mustard, radish, cabbage, and broccoli are part of the Brassicaceae family or mustard
family. All these plants are economically important for food, and it is very important to understand
how outside environmental factors such as saltwater impact their growth since they provide greatly to
agriculture in regions of high soil salinity or even around coastal areas. Saltwater will interfere with
the balance of plants, causing dehydration and nutritional imbalance, in the end affecting plant
growth. The amount of salinity can also slow down seed germination, reduce growth, limit biomass
production, and influence overall plant health. The impact of saltwater on Brassicaceae species
growth will reveal the likely difficulties these plants encounter in salty environments.
Variables
Independent Variable: Salt concentration in water (in grams of salt per liter of water, g/L).
Dependent Variable: Growth of the Brassicaceae plants (recorded based on plant height in
centimeters, number of leaves, and health).
Controlled Variables:
Species of Brassicaceae being used (same species for uniformity, e.g., Brassica oleracea).
Materials
Brassicaceae seeds (e.g., Brassica oleracea)
Salt (NaCl)
Distilled water
Containers or pots (preferably 1-liter capacity)
Measuring cups and spoons for salt and water
Ruler or measuring tape for measuring plant height
Scale for weighing salt
Thermometer for keeping track of temperature
Light source (sunlight or grow lights with controlled intensity)
Soil (standard potting soil or a soil mix appropriate for Brassicaceae)
Notebook for observation and data collection
Methodology
Preparation of Salt Solutions: Prepare different concentrations of saltwater by dissolving various
quantities of salt in distilled water. For instance, prepare solutions with 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% salt
concentration (g/L).
Planting the Brassicaceae:
Fill all pots with the same quantity of soil (e.g., 1 liter per pot).
Sow the seeds of Brassicaceae to the same depth within each pot (e.g., 2-3 seeds/pot for replication).
Identify each pot by the corresponding concentration of saltwater (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%).
1. Watering the Plants:
Irrigate the plants with the corresponding solution of saltwater (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%) matching the
assigned concentration for each pot.
Provide each plant with the same quantity of water (e.g., 100 mL/d).
Make sure the pots are drained to avoid waterlogging and salt buildup in the soil.
2. Environmental Control:
Place the plants under controlled conditions where temperature, humidity, and light intensity are the
same for all pots.
Make sure the plants get the same light (e.g., 12 hours of light a day) and that the temperature is the
same (e.g., 20°C).
3. Growth Monitoring:
Take the height of the plant in centimeters every week.
Count the leaves per plant.
Record the health of the plants overall, indicating signs of stress as wilting, yellowing, or dropping
leaves.
4. Data Collection:
Note the height of the plant, leaf number, and health (1 = poor to 5 = excellent) in a tabular form.
5. Control Group
The control will be plants watered with distilled water (0% salt level), which will act as the
comparison baseline.
6. Duration:
Observe the plants for a predetermined time (e.g., 4 weeks), at which point data will be measured to
determine the effect of various salt levels on growth.
Works Cited
The Plant Cell. American Society of Plant Biologists, [Link]. Accessed 24 Mar.
2025.
Plant Physiology. Oxford University Press, [Link]/plphys. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine,
[Link]. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
ScienceDirect. Elsevier, [Link]. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Google Scholar. Google, [Link]. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
PubMed. U.S. National Library of Medicine, [Link]/pubmed. Accessed 24 Mar.
2025.