Abstract
Kimi Boozer
The hypothesis of this experiment is that the cauliflower plant that is watered with the water containing Epsom salt will have the shortest growth height and the smallest root system. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of different salts on the height growth and root systems of cauliflower plants. In this experiment, twelve cauliflower plants were obtained and each were split into four groups. Each group was labeled with a different color, and each group was watered with different solutions. The solutions were 45 mL of MgSO4 · 7H2O and 300 mL water, 45 mL of NaCl and 300 mL of water, 45 mL of KCl and 300 mL water, and 300 mL of H2O. The plants were watered with 10 mL of the appropriate solutions and measured for ten days. The measurements were recorded each day, and after ten days an average of the measurements was calculated. At the end of ten days the plants were taken out of their holders and the root systems were measured for each group. The results of the experiment are as follows. The H2O group increased an average of 0.17 cm, the NaCl group decreased an average of 1.12 cm, the MgSO4 · 7H2O group decreased and average of 0.44 cm, and the KCl group decreased and average of 0.91 cm. Therefore, the NaCl solution was most harmful in the height growth of the cauliflower plants. The average root growth measured at the end of the experiment are as follows: H2O , 12.4 cm; NaCl, 9.9 cm; MgSO4 · 7H2O , 9.1 cm; KCl, 8.6 cm. Therefore, the group with the most complex root system was the H2O group.