Detergent In Water Lab

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Environmental Systems and Societies

Title: Investigate the effect of different concentrations of detergent in water on the growth of pea plants.

Name: Shoyon Sharma

Choithram International School, Indore

Table of Contents

(I) TITLE 3

(II) BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3

(III) HYPOTHESIS 3

(IV) EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 3

(V) MATERIALS USED 4

(VI) PROCEDURE 4

(VII) GROWTH CHART/ HISTOGRAM AND RESULTS 7

(VIII) CONCLUSION 7

(IX) BIBLIOGRAPHY 7

(I) TITLE: Investigate the effect of different concentrations of detergent in water on the growth of pea plants.

(II) BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

It is well established that plants and trees are invaluable assets to human survival on earth because they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, which

They are extremely popular and almost every household in at least urban areas uses detergents for cleaning purposes. Most commonly available detergents contain chemicals like Sodium, Chlorine etc. in high quantities and their presence can. severely deter plant life and plant growth. This is because some chemicals kill the helpful/ good bacteria and end up destroying the balance in the soil which is essential for plant growth.

(III) HYPOTHESIS:

Detergents severely affect the growth of plants like pea plants. When the concentration of detergent mixed in the water is higher, it is even more detrimental to these plants and can even lead to their death. I have based my hypothesis on the fact that most detergents contain chemicals which are dangerous for plant life.

(IV) EXPERIMENTAL

The results of this experiment highlight the dangerous effects of water pollution from indiscriminate use of detergents on plants. Thus, it is important that we use environment friendly detergents and governments start treating sewage/ polluted water before letting it into rivers and streams.

The growth results have been depicted in the following graph: The average height of plants in each pot has been taken in centimetres and the growth was measured for 21 days.

(VIII) CONCLUSION:

The plants in Pots 4 and 5 did not sprout. The growth in Pot 0 was the highest as there was no detergent mixed in the water supplied to it. Pots 1, 2 and 3 show some growth and their heights are lower in the pots with higher concentrations of detergent. Thus, the results reconcile with my original hypothesis that higher concentrations of detergent deter plant growth and in some cases where the concentration is higher, the seeds might not sprout at all.

It therefore becomes very important to spread awareness about the ill effects of water polluted with detergent like substances on plants and the environment in general.

(IX) BIBLIOGRAPHY:

a) Joanne Cichetti, “The Effects of Detergent on Plant Growth”, available at: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5958757_effects-detergent-plant-growth.html.

b) William D. DeMichele, "Plants",