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Growth of radish plants exposed to different

light intensities
Kaylee Jenson

11/12/2018

Abstract:

The main area of study for this experiment is the cellular biology of photosynthesis and

respiration. The research question is, will radish seeds grow best in no light exposure, medium Commented [1]: add ,

light exposure, or full light exposure in the first two weeks after being planted? Three radish

seeds were planted in either no, medium, or high light exposure and their heights were

measured. This experiment was conducted at Fossil Ridge High School in 2018. The sample

size consisted of three plants. The plant in medium exposure (Plant 2) grew the tallest, the plant

in full exposure (Plant 1) grew the second best, and the plant with no exposure (Plant 3) grew

the worst. By the end of the experiment Plant 2 grew 15 cm tall, Plant 1 grew 7.5 cm, and Plant

3 grew 6 cm tall. The conclusion is that radish seeds grow the tallest when exposed to a

medium amount of light in the first two weeks after being planted.

Introduction:

The research question is, will radish seeds grow the tallest when in no light exposure,

medium light exposure, or full light exposure in the first two weeks after being planted? This

question is being studied to determine how light intensity affects cellular energy processes such

as photosynthesis and cellular respiration. This experiment relates to the content in this class
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because there is unit dedicated to cellular energy. This unit largely focused on cellular Commented [2]: I like how you included this but
maybe go a little more in depth of how it relates to what
respiration and photosynthesis. we learned in cellular energy

An experiment performed by the US Forest Service studied the relationship between

light exposure and growth of redwood trees (Boldenow, McBride, 2017.) The experiment

concluded that trees exposed to less light had decreased height, stem diameter, branch length,

leaf mass, and other features. Another experiment studied the effects of light intensity on the

Calathea plant (Jutamanee, Rungwattana, 2017.) It was concluded that the plants exposed to

more light had increased rates of CO2 production which means that they had increased rates of

cellular respiration. Both of these studies are related to this experiment and help back up the Commented [3]: is there a specific quote from the
study you could use to strengthen your argument here?
hypothesis.

For the experiment performed in class it was hypothesized that the plant exposed to the Commented [4]: is this your hypothesis or the other
study's hypothesis?
most sunlight would grow the tallest. This was hypothesized because light is necessary for

photosynthesis. So for a high rate of photosynthesis to take place there must be a lot of

sunlight. Photosynthesis is necessary for plants to produce glucose, and glucose is necessary

for cellular respiration which produces ATP. ATP is needed for the plant to grow more.

Three radish seeds were planted in cups and placed in three different light intensities,

no light exposure, medium exposure, and high exposure. The plants were allowed to grow for

two weeks and their heights were measured every 2-3 days. The independent variable was the

light intensity and the dependent variable was the height of the plant.

Methods and Materials:

The equipment needed for this experiment is three plastic cups, 300 mL of potting soil,

six radish seeds, water, a graduated cylinder, a windowsill, a cabinet with a glass door, a

completely dark cabinet, and a ruler. Three red cups were filled with the same amount of soil,

about 100 mL each. The soil was potting soil with added fertilizers.The same type of soil was

used in each cup. Two radish seeds were planted in each cup. All plants were watered the
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same amount at the same time. A graduated cylinder was used to measure the amount of

water. One plant was placed on a windowsill with full exposure to the sun, one was placed in a

cabinet with a glass door with partial exposure, and one was placed in a completely dark

cabinet with no exposure. The height of the plants was measured every class period with a ruler

for a period of two weeks. The plants were held up straight next to the ruler and were measured Commented [5]: I would add more if you can about the
exact steps to get to the results!
from the soil to the tops of the leaves. Qualitative data was also observed every class period.

The independent variable, light intensity, was manipulated by putting the plants in different

locations that had different exposure to light. The soil amount, soil type, seed type, container

size, water amount, and water frequency were all held constant.

Results:

Graph 1:

Graph 1: The height of three radish plants exposed to different light intensities is shown in this graph. Commented [6]: I think she wanted the image caption
to be a smaller text size
Plant 1 was fully exposed to light, Plant 2 was partially exposed, and Plant 3 was not exposed. The plants

were measured every 2-3 days over a two week period. The plants were measured in centimeters. Plant

2 experienced the best growth, it grew faster, and taller overall. Plant 1 was second best and grew at a

relatively steady rate. The worst was Plant 3 that stopped growing at 6 cm tall, but towards the beginning
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it grew at a similar rate to Plant 1. This data means that radishes grow best when exposed to a medium

light intensity. Commented [7]: I like this conclusion and how it tied
everything together!

Table 1:

Growth of Radish Plants Exposed to Different Light Intensities

Table 1: The

height of three radish plants exposed to different light intensities is shown in this table. Plant 1 was fully Commented [8]: smaller text size

exposed, Plant 2 was partially exposed, and Plant 3 was not exposed. The height of the plants was

measured in centimeters every 2-3 days. Plant 2 experienced the best growth, it grew faster, and taller.

Plant 1 was second best and grew at a pretty steady rate. The worst was Plant 3 that stopped growing at

6 cm tall, but towards the beginning it grew at a similar rate to Plant 1. This means that radishes grow

taller in their first two weeks in medium light exposure.

Figure 1:
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Figure 1: This photo of Plant 1 was taken on the last day of the experiment (11/9/2018.) Plant 1 has large

green leaves and a firm stem.

Figure 2:

Figure 2: This photo was taken of Plant 2 on the last day of the experiment (11/9/2018.) Plant 2 has a

long thin stem. The leaves are small, yellow and shriveled.
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Figure 3:

This photo was taken of Plant 3 on the last day of the experiment (11/9/2018.) Plant 3 has a thin, flimsy

stem. The leaves were shriveled and yellow.

Graph 1 and Table 1 show which light exposure cause a radish plant to grow the tallest.

The plant with medium light exposure (Plant 2) grew the tallest, finishing 15 cm tall. The second

tallest was the plant with high light exposure (plant one.) Plant 1 grew 7.5 cm tall. And the

shortest was the plant with no light exposure (plant three.) Plant 3 grew 6 cm overall.

Plant 3 grew at different rates throughout the experiment. Towards the beginning plant

three grew the fastest. On 10/26/2018 it was 1.5 cm tall compared to the other plants which

were 0.8 cm tall (Plant 2) and 0.5 (Plant 1.) But later on Plant 3 stopped growing at 6 cm from

10/31/2018 to 11/9/2018 (the end of the experiment.) Commented [9]: I like how you added end of
experiment so it is very clear to the reader to
Another important aspect of the data is the qualitative data. Every class period understand

observations were made about the plants. This data is helpful in determining which plant was

the healthiest. Plant 1 was the healthiest. It had large green leaves which indicate that is was Commented [10]: describe more, what made it the
healthiest
healthy. At the end of the experiment Plant 1’s leaves appeared firm and green. Plant 2’s leaves

were shriveled and yellow. Plant 3’s leaves appeared similar, but were more yellow. Plant 2 was
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the second healthiest and Plant 3 was the least healthy. Its leaves were yellow and shriveled Commented [11]: describe what makes it the least
healthy
and the stem was very thin. At the end of the experiment the largest leaf on each plant was

measured from where they connected to the stem to the tip of the leaf. Plant 1 measured 3 cm,

Plant 2 measured 1.5 cm, and Plant 3 also measured 1.5 cm.

Discussion:

The research question for this experiment was, in which light intensity will radish seeds

grow the tallest in the two weeks after being planted? It was hypothesized that the radish seed

in the highest light intensity would grow the tallest. This hypothesis was rejected. Data from the Commented [12]: very clear

experiment shows that the radish seed in medium light intensity grow the tallest. For further

study the same procedure should take place, but the plants should be watered less and less

often. The plants were over watered in this experiment and results would be more accurate if

the plants were watered less.

Plant 2 (the plant exposed to medium intensity of light) grew the tallest. At the end of the

experiment Plant 2 was 14.5 cm tall. Whereas Plant 1 was 7.5 cm tall, and Plant 3 was 6 cm

tall. This data supports the claim in response to the research question.

The results from this experiment are related to photosynthesis. Plant 3 grew the worst,

only growing 6 cm by 11/9/2018. This is because Plant 3 was not exposed to light. Light is

needed for photosynthesis to take place. This is because light is needed to excite electrons in

Photosystems I and II in the Thylakoid Electron Transport Chain (ETC). The ETC produces ATP

that is used to power the Light Independent Cycle or the Calvin Cycle. The Calvin Cycle

produces glucose. This glucose is needed for cellular respiration and ATP production. This ATP

is used for plant growth and other plant functions. But without light this process cannot take

place, and therefore the plant cannot grow at a normal rate.

This connection is also seen in other types of plants too. This connection was seen with

redwood trees in a study from the U.S. Forest Service (Boldenow, McBride, 2017.) It was
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reported that when a seedling was exposed to increased light intensity it would have an

increased height, stem diameter, branch length, leaf mass, and other features. Another study

was performed that exposed the plant, Calathea, to natural light, 50% shade, and 80% shade.

(Jutamanee, Rungwattana, 2017.) The plants in 50% or 80% shade showed a significant

decrease in CO2 production. This means that less cellular respiration was taking place. Which

means that the plants had less energy to grow and perform regular functions.

Sources of error in this experiment include the watering amount, measuring strategy,

and whether the plants were enclosed or not. The plants in this experiment were over watered. Commented [13]: expand more on not human error
errors
This may have altered the results. In a future experiment plants should be watered less than 25

mL of water every 4-5 days. Another source of error comes from the strategy used to measure

the plants. Plants were held up straight and measured with a ruler. Due to the watery soil, when

the plants were held up straight they would be pulled out of the soil. This means that it was

difficult to tell where the stem and the roots were separated which skewed results. Plants could

be measured with a tape measure so that they would not have to be pulled up straight. Another

source of error comes from the fact that Plant 2 was in a cabinet with a glass door and Plant 3

was in a dark cabinet. Because the plants were kept in enclosed areas, this could have

suffocated them. This would have caused them to grow worse than if they were not in a closed

container. Plant 2 could be placed in a room with curtains on the windows, and Plant 3 could be

placed in a room without windows and without artificial lighting.

Conclusion:

Radish seeds exposed to medium light intensity in the two weeks after being planted will

grow taller compared to seeds in full light exposure or no light exposure. Although the plant

exposed to medium light intensity (Plant 2) grew the tallest, it did not show signs of good health.

The plant with full light intensity (Plant 1) showed signs of good health, and the plant with no

light exposure (Plant 3) showed signs of very bad health. Plant 3 grew the worst because of the
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lack of light which halted the process of photosynthesis. Plant 2 and Plant 1 grew better

because they had exposure to light which allowed photosynthesis to take place.

Because height is not in direct correlation with health, another experiment should take

place but signs of health should be analyzed instead of height. For example leaf color and leaf

size could be measured instead.

Data from this experiment can be used in agriculture. Farmers who are farming radishes

could use this data to decide where would be the best place to plant their radishes based on

light intensity and desired seedling height.

Works Cited:

Boldenow, R. W., & McBride, J. R. (2017). Redwood seedling responses to light patterns and

intensities. General Technical Report.

Jutamanee, K., & Rungwattana, K. (2017). Photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence of

Calathea ‘Medallion’ exposed to different light intensity. Acta Horticulturae,(1167), 345-

348. doi:10.17660/actahortic.2017.1167.49 Commented [14]: hanging indent