Introduction
The growth and development of plants in an environment depend on numerous factors for their growth and development. Major factors required for plants’ growth are water, air, soil, light, nutrients, and warmth (Qaderi et al. 5). Since the amount of precipitation varies from one season to another and in various locations, the determination of their influence on plants’ growth is essential. Moreover, some plants require more water than others do for optimal growth and development. Water is critical in plants because it functions as a medium for cellular activities and raw material for photosynthesis (Meng 3597). Additionally, water softens the soil for effective penetration of delicate roots, dissolves minerals in the soil for absorption, and aids plants in controlling their temperature. In their study, Lee et al. established that regular rainfall pattern is appropriate for optimal growth and development of plants. Thus, it is evident that water is a significant factor that influences the growth of plants in various environmental conditions. The focus of this experiment is to establish how water supply affects the growth of popcorn plants. The information from the study would aid farmers in identifying appropriate seasons to cultivate popcorn plants based on data of meteorological forecasts.
Materials and Methodology
An experimental design was used to determine the influence of precipitation on the growth of plants. Plant pots, soil, popcorn seeds, an enclosed environment, water, and measuring tape were materials used in setting up the experiment. Six replicates were set up for both the control and experimental groups of popcorn plants grown in pots with a controlled level of precipitation. Plants in the controlled group received adequate water, sunlight, soil, and air to ensure optimal growth and development. In contrast, plants in the experimental group received a limited supply of water with other factors in adequate proportions. The plants were given respective treatments for eight weeks, during which measurements of growth were performed.
After two weeks of growth, the heights of plants in millimeters were determined using a tape measure. Subsequently, weekly measurements of plants’ sizes were taken for eight weeks, and the findings were recorded for analysis. Microsoft Excel was used to calculate the mean and standard deviations as descriptive statistics to highlight the distribution of heights in the control and experimental groups. A bar chart was used to depict variation in mean heights of plants in both control and experimental groups for eight weeks. A comparison of the means and standard deviations provided a way of highlighting trends of differences in the growth of plants over eight weeks. As an inferential statistics, a one-tailed t-test in Excel was used to determine if the mean heights of plants differ significantly between plants in control and experimental groups. An alpha level of 0.05 was used as the threshold of deciding if differences in means of height between the two groups were statistically significant.
Results
Descriptive statistics (Table 1 and Figure 1) shows that the mean heights of plants increased over the period of the experiment. Plants in the control group increased their mean heights from 5.1 mm in week 1 to 41.1 ml in week 8. In contrast, plants in the experimental group increased their mean heights from 4.0 mm in the first week to 8.2 mm in the eightieth week. Comparatively, plants in the control group increased their sizes by about eight times, while those in the experimental group increased their heights by around two times. The growth of plants in both groups exhibited differences in their standard deviations. Plants in the control group had a higher level of dispersion in heights than those in the experiment group.
Table 1: Means and standard deviations of plants’ heights over eight weeks.
T-test results (Table 2) indicated that plants in the control group (M = 19.275, SD = 14.759) have higher level of mean and dispersion in heights than those in the experimental group (M = 5.975, SD = 1.467). These descriptive statistics point out that water increases plants’ growth, provided all other factors are adequate. T-test infers that the mean height of plants in the control experiment is statistically significantly higher than that of those in the experimental group, t(7) = 2.82, p = 0.013. These findings suggest that a limited supply of water significantly slows down plants’ growth in the environment.
Discussion
The results of the experiment demonstrated that the growth of popcorn plants varied between those grown in the control and experimental groups. As the amount of water was manipulated, the difference in the plants’ growth emanates from the experimental conditions. Within eight weeks, the collected data indicated that adequate supply hastens the growth rate of pants. In the control group, plants increased their heights from a mean of 5.1 mm to 41.1 mm, which is about eight times. Relatively, a limited supply of water diminished the growth because plants doubled their heights from a mean of 4.0 mm to 8.2 mm. Researchers explain that water acts as the raw material of photosynthesis, solvent for dissolving nutrients in the soil, media for cellular functions, and regulator for temperature (Qaderi et al. 5; Lee et al. 1174; Meng 3598). The t-test confirmed that the apparent differences in means of plants’ heights in the control and experimental groups are statistically significant. Since enzymes drive the plants’ biochemical reactions, water offers a medium for optimal performance of respiration, photosynthesis, and transpiration (Qaderi et al. 6). Based on the findings, the study demonstrates that popcorn plants require much water because they speed their growth rate.
Conclusion
The experiment to determine the effect of water on the growth of popcorn generated significant findings. The data demonstrated that an adequate supply of water optimizes popcorn growth, whereas deficient amounts lead to stunted growth. In this view, farmers should cultivate popcorn plants in seasons that offer sufficient rainfall. A further recommendation is that future studies ought to establish the minimum water supply pattern needed for the popcorn plant’s growth.
Works Cited
Lee, Mark, et al. “Plant and arthropod community sensitivity to rainfall manipulation but not nitrogen enrichment in a successional grassland ecosystem. Oecologia, vol. 176, no. 4, 2014. pp. 1173–1185.
Meng, Lai-Sheng. “Compound Synthesis or Growth and Development of Roots/Stomata Regulate Plant Drought Tolerance or Water Use Efficiency/Water Uptake Efficiency.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 66, no. 14, 2018, pp. 3595–3604.
Qaderi, Mirwais, et al. “Environmental Factors Influence Plant Vascular System and Water Regulation.” Plants, vol. 8, no. 19, 2018, pp. 1–23.