LITTLE ROCK INDIAN SCHOOL

Brahmavar – 576213

A Biology Project On:

Effects of Varying Environmental Factors on Plants

Submi ed by:

Seth Saji Pallakad

XII A

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 LITTLE ROCK INDIAN SCHOOL
BRAHMAVAR-576213

CERTIFICATE
This is to cer fy that Seth Saji Pallakad has sa sfactorily completed a minor
research project in biology on “Effects of Varying Environmental Factors on
Plants”

DATE: PROJECT IN CHARGE:

REG NO: 1. Mr Harikrishna D
2. Mrs Julia James
EXTERNAL EXAMINERS
1.
2.

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 Acknowledgement
I, Seth Saji Pallakad, sincerely thank my Biology teachers, Mr Harikrishna D
and Mrs Julia James, for his/her valuable guidance, encouragement, and
support throughout the comple on of this project on “Effects of Varying
Environmental Factors on Plants.”
I am also grateful to my school for providing me with the necessary facili es,
and to my parents and friends for their constant mo va on and assistance
during the prepara on of this work.

Date Name: Seth Saji Pallakad

Place Sign:

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 Index
S. No. Contents Page No.

1. Introduc on 5

2. Aim 5

3. Review of Literature 5

4. Materials and Methodology 6

5. Observa ons 7

6. Results 8

7. Inference 8

8. Conclusion 10

9. Bibliography 11

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Introduc on
Plants, unlike animals, are immobile and cannot escape unfavorable condi ons.
Their survival, growth, and reproduc on are highly dependent on the
surrounding environmental factors such as light intensity, water availability,
temperature, and air quality.
 Light plays a major role in photosynthesis, phototropism, and overall
plant morphology. Plants deprived of sunlight o en show e ola on
(yellowing and elongated stems).
 Water is essen al for turgidity, nutrient transport, and photosynthesis.
Excess water or deficiency can both nega vely affect growth.
 Pollu on and dust par cles can clog stomata, reduce photosynthe c
efficiency, and lead to premature aging of leaves.
This project was undertaken to experimentally demonstrate how varying these
condi ons influences plant growth and physiology over a span of 15 days.

Aim
To study the effects of varying environmental factors (such as light, water, and
air pollu on) on the growth and physiology of plants.

Review of Literature
1. Taiz, L., & Zeiger, E. (2015). Plant Physiology and Development. Sinauer
Associates. → Explains how light and water availability alter
photosynthesis rates and plant morphology.
2. Raven, P.H., et al. (2017). Biology of Plants (8th Edi on). W.H. Freeman
and Company. → Highlights the role of stomata and gas exchange in
response to pollu on and environmental stress.
3. Sharma, R. (2019). “Impact of Urban Air Pollu on on Plant Growth.”
Journal of Environmental Biology, 40(3), 567–574. → Research ar cle
describing how dust and par culate ma er reduce plant produc vity.

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 4. NCERT Biology (Class XII, Chapter 13: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants;
Chapter 15: Plant Growth and Development). → Used as the main
reference for school-level concepts.

Materials and Methods

A. Materials Required
 Green gram (moong) seeds – 30
 Small pots/containers – 6
 Different types of soil (garden soil, sandy soil)
 Water (measured with a beaker)
 Measuring scale (for plant height)
 Notebook and pen for recording observa ons
 Labels for marking pots

B. Methodology
1. Healthy green gram seeds of uniform size were selected.
2. Six small pots were prepared. Pots 1–3 contained garden soil, while Pots
4–6 contained sandy soil.
3. Five seeds were sown in each pot at equal depth.
4. Pots were divided into six experimental condi ons:
o Pot 1: Garden soil + adequate water (control)
o Pot 2: Garden soil + limited water (5 ml/day)
o Pot 3: Garden soil + excess water (50 ml/day)
o Pot 4: Sandy soil + adequate water
o Pot 5: Garden soil + adequate water but kept in shade (low light)

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 o Pot 6: Garden soil + adequate water but kept in con nuous
ar ficial light (24 hrs)
5. Growth was observed for 10 days.
6. Plant height, germina on percentage, and leaf appearance were
recorded daily.

Observa ons

Pot Condi on Applied Avg. Avg. Height Leaf Condi on

No. Germina on (cm) a er 10
(%) days

1 Garden soil + 90% 10 cm Healthy, dark

adequate water green
(control)

2 Garden soil + limited 60% 6 cm Small,

water yellowish, dry
leaves

3 Garden soil + excess 40% 4 cm Weak, wilted

water seedlings

4 Sandy soil + 70% 7 cm Thin, pale

adequate water green leaves

5 Garden soil + 50% 5 cm Pale yellow,

adequate water + elongated
shade stem

6 Garden soil + 65% 8 cm Green, slightly

adequate water + curled leaves
con nuous light

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Overall Observa on:
 Plants in Pot 1 (control) showed the best overall growth.
 Water stress (limited/excess) reduced both germina on rate and final
plant height.
 Sandy soil supported growth but plants appeared weaker than those in
garden soil.
 Shaded plants became tall but pale due to lack of sufficient sunlight
(e ola on).
 Con nuous light caused plants to grow moderately but showed signs of
stress due to overexposure.

Results
 Plants in natural, favourable condi ons (Set A) grew the best.
 Low light (Set B) restricted growth and photosynthesis.
 Polluted condi ons (Set C) caused severe damage, with minimal growth
and early signs of senescence.

Inference
The experiment inferred that environmental factors significantly affect plant
physiology:
 Light is necessary for chlorophyll forma on and photosynthesis.
 Air pollutants reduce produc vity by blocking stomata and damaging
ssues.
 Plants growing in polluted or low-light condi ons are weaker and less
healthy than those in clean, sunny environments.

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The above bar graph compares the germina on percentage of seeds grown in
six different environmental condi ons (Pots 1–6).
 Pot 1 (90%) had the highest germina on, indica ng favorable condi ons
such as adequate water and light.
 Pot 3 (40%) had the lowest germina on, sugges ng stress due to factors
like excessive heat, lack of water, or poor soil.
 Pots 2, 4, 5, and 6 showed moderate germina on (50–70%), which
indicates that while condi ons were not perfect, they s ll supported
some seed growth.
This shows that environmental factors directly affect seed germina on
efficiency, with op mal condi ons producing higher germina on rates.

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The above bar graph shows the average height of plants grown in six different
environmental condi ons.
 Pot 1 (10 cm) had the tallest plants, proving that it had the most suitable
growth condi ons.
 Pot 3 (4 cm) showed the shortest plants, sugges ng poor condi ons such
as insufficient nutrients, light, or water.
 Pots 2, 4, 5, and 6 ranged between 5–8 cm, indica ng intermediate
growth under moderately favorable condi ons.

This indicates that plant height is strongly influenced by environmental

factors. Be er condi ons result in taller, healthier plants, while stress reduces
overall growth.

Conclusion
It was concluded that:
 Favourable environmental condi ons are essen al for proper plant
growth and development.
 Adverse condi ons such as low light and polluted environments directly
reduce photosynthesis, growth rate, and health.
 Environmental protec on is crucial not only for human survival but also
for maintaining plant health and ecological balance.

Bibliography
1. NCERT, Biology – Class XII, Chapter 13 “Photosynthesis in Higher Plants”
and Chapter 15 “Plant Growth and Development,” 2022 Edi on.
2. Taiz, L., & Zeiger, E. (2015). Plant Physiology and Development. Sinauer
Associates.
3. Raven, P.H., Evert, R.F., & Eichhorn, S.E. (2017). Biology of Plants (8th
Edi on). W.H. Freeman and Company.

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4. Sharma, R. (2019). “Impact of Urban Air Pollu on on Plant Growth.”
Journal of Environmental Biology, 40(3), 567–574.
5. Website: Na onal Ins tute of Science Communica on and Informa on
Resources (NISCAIR). h ps://[Link] – Accessed 2024.

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