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Amount of Sunlight affect plant growth Introduction Date of Experiment: March 17, 2010, Wednesday – April 9, 2010, Friday Purpose: Comparing variation in exposures of sunlight and whether it affects plant growth. Background Information: In one of our sources they use sunlight and competition of other surrounding plants to get their results. In their results they found that the plants with the 50-60% amount of sunlight grew the fastest and was the strongest . The plants with the 50-60% amount of sunlight grew the most because it was the average of two locations of full direct sunlight and no direct sunlight, both of which could not survive as well because they each lacked one of the factors that they needed. The full sun lacked enough water because the same amount of water was poured on all three of them and it absorbed water faster because of the heat. The plant with no sunlight did not get enough nutrients because the plants did not absorb nutrients from the sun. We used this partially as our assumption to base off of and see how our results matched. The Second source was about an experiment which planted two coexisting oak trees instead of smaller plants to see the difference in growth with different amounts of sunlight. This experiment gave a final conclusion that the oak tree that was growing with the least amount of sun grew the most and flourished . Before we read this source, we thought the tree with balanced amount of sunlight, direct sunlight with some shades, would grow the most. In this experiment, we had to look at how the trees’ growth may be affected differently than a smaller plant. The last source was also an experiment about different amount of sunlight and population. In this experiment, the Prosopis Glandulosa Seedlings were used for their plants. According to their experiment, the Seedling under 50-70% amount of sunlight grew the fastest and the strongest. We used these three experiment sources to compare and help us hypothesize about our experiment. We decided to disagree with the experiments and thought that the plants with the full direct sunlight would grow the most in a healthy condition. We came to this conclusion because two of the three experiments used another variable, which were the another factor of population and different types of plants that were used for the experiment, that might have made their results different from ours. Independent Variables: Amount of sunlight. Dependant Variables: Plant growth. Constant/s: Amount of water given to the plant daily, amount and type of soil, amount and type of seeds planted, and size of the pots. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the plants that were able exposed to full sunlight without any plants around would grow the most.

Methods Method Summary Our experimental set up allowed my partner and me to fulfill the purpose of the experiment, which was to compare variation in exposures of sunlight and whether it affects plant growth. My partner and I hypothesized that different amount of sunlight would have an effect on plant growth and the plant that was able to expose full sunlight without any plants around would grow the most, so we had 4 pots of plants of 3 groups, 12 in total. One group was the “full sun” group they were able to absorb the full sunlight without any other plants around them, we placed them on top of the wall where they could expose full direct sunlight. The second group was the “half sun” group and they were able to absorb about half of sunlight under the coast live oak tree, we placed the plants at the edge of the crown of the oak ceiling so some parts would have shades. The last group was the “almost no sun” group and they were able to absorb less than half of sunlight with almost full shade under the same oak tree, they were able to get only indirect sunlight. We placed the plants in three different places so they would either get full, half, or no-sun. Since we only changed the amount of sunlight, we were able to see how sunlight affects plant growth and whether or not it is better to have radish plants to grow in full, half, or no sun. During our experiment, we measured the height of the stem of each plants daily and on the last day of our experiment we measured the lengths and widths of roots, stems, and leaves by using a centimeter ruler. We also measured the soil temperature of each 12 pots by using the thermometer, and recorded our data in our data table. Materials • 12 same sized pots (6cm x 7cm x 5.5cm) • 1 pack of Cherry Belle Radish seeds from Cornucopia • 1 bag of 0.19-0.20-0.06 potting soil from Orchard Supply Hardware • Tap water • 1 graduated cylinder • 1 scale • 1 trowel • 1 pack of post-it • 1 centimeters ruler • 1 thermometer Procedures • First, Olivia and I measured 200g of the potting soil by using the scale, and repeated this step for all 12 pots. • Then, Olivia putted the potting soil into one of the pots by using the shovel; the potting soil filled about 5/6ths of the pot. She repeated this step for all 12 pots. • After we had all 12 pots filled with potting soil, I used my pinky and pushed the soil up to the first finger joint of my pinky in order to make a hole for the seed. I also repeated this step for all 12 pots. • Olivia and I put one radish seed into the hole of each pot, and then we covered it with the soil. • Olivia divided 12 pots into 3 groups, so there were 4 pots in each group. • I used different colored post-its to label them. For the full sun group of pots, I used the red colored post-its and labeled them as A, B, C, and D. For the half sun group of pots, I used orange colored post-its and labeled them as A, B, C, and D. Lastly for the almost no sun group of pots, I used blue colored post-its and labeled them as A, B, C, and D. • Olivia and I placed each group of pots in different places so the full sun group could get full sun without any other plants around. Since the “full sun” group has to expose full sunlight without any other plants around, we placed them on top of the wall where they would get direct sunlight. The “half sun” group was only allowed to get about half sun sunlight at the edge of the crown of the ceiling of coast live oak (Quercus Agrifolia) tree creating some shades, we placed them 40cm horizontally and 24cm vertically. Lastly, the “almost no sun” group was only allowed to expose indirect sunlight under the same oak tree, we placed them 0.2cm horizontally from the oak and 8cm vertically from the oak tree. The oak tree was 8feet tall and 6 feet wide. • Olivia and I measured the water by using the graduated cylinder which was 100ml maximum and watered the each pot twice, so each of the pots got 200ml of water. • Olivia and I watered the plants every other day and measured the stem of the plant by using a centimeter ruler. We recorded the measurements into our data table every time we watered the plants. • On the last day of the experiment, we took the plants out of their pots and measured the sizes of their stem, root, and leaves; we also measured the soil temperature of each pot. • In order to measure the sizes of the stems of each plant, Olivia took a ruler and measured the length of the stem, which was from the bottom end of the leaves to the top part of the roots. We also measure the width of the stem by using a centimeter ruler. • In order to measure the sizes of the leaves of each plant, I measured the length of the leaves starting from the top end to the bottom end of the each leaves, and also measured the width starting from one of the side ends to another. I used centimeter ruler to measure the measurements. • Olivia also used the centimeter ruler and measured the length of each plant’s roots. She started from the very end of the stem to the very end of the root. • Lastly, I used a thermometer to measure the soil temperature of all 12 pots. I putted the thermometer inside each soil and measure the temperature in degrees Celsius (℃). • We recorded all of our measurements in the data table. Results Observations and Data Text My partner and I planted our radish plants on March 19, 2010, two days after the plants under full direct sunlight did not sprout, however the plants under the edge of the oak braches getting both shade and direct sunlight, and the plants that were only able to expose indirect sunlight and some direct sunlight through the small gaps between oak leaves, started to sprout a little in an average height of 0.35cm and 0.55cm. During the second week, on March 22-24, 2010 the plants under full direct sunlight still haven’t sprouted. However the plants under both shade and direct sunlight grew in an average height of 0.7cm and 1.2cm; the plants under mostly indirect sunlight grew in an average height of 1cm and 1.9cm. On March 26, 2010, the day after it rained about 0.05cm, the plants under full direct sunlight finally started to sprout, they were 0.08cm in average height. The plants under both shade and direct sunlight grew in an average height of 1.2cm, and the plant under mostly indirect sunlight grew in an average height of 1.9cm. During the third week, March 31, April 2, and 5, 2010, the plants under full direct sunlight grew in an average height of 0.4cm, 0.5cm, and 0.9cm. Plants under both shade and direct sunlight grew in an average height of 1.6cm, 2.1cm, and 2.9cm; plants under mostly indirect sunlight grew in an average of 2.4cm, 3cm, and 3.6cm. Also on March 29, 31, April 2, and 4, 2010, it rained for about 0.2cm, 0.6cm, 0.02cm, and 2.4cm. When we went outside to water the plants, most of the times the soils and the pots were already soaked in water so there was no point of watering them. During the fourth week, April 5, 7, and 9, 2010, the plants under full direct sunlight grew in an average height of 1.1cm, 1.4cm, and 1.7cm. Plants under both shade and direct sunlight grew in an average height of 3.9cm, 4.3cm, and 5.4cm; the plants under mostly indirect sunlight grew in an average height of 4.1cm, 4.5cm, and 4.9cm. Overall the plants under both shade and direct sunlight grew the most relative to other plants from other places, and the plants under full direct sunlight grew the least relative to other plants. Also on April 9th 2010, the last day of our experiment, we took out our plants from their pots and we measured the width and length of each leaves, and stem, and measured the length of each roots; we also measured the soil temperature of each pots by using a thermometer. The average length of the root of the plant from the full direct sunlight was 2.1cm, the roots from both shades and direct sunlight was 7.4cm, lastly, the roots from mainly indirect sunlight was 5.9cm. The average length and width of leaves of plants from full sunlight was 0.65cm and 0.7cm, the leaves from both shade and direct sunlight was 1.6cm and 2.5cm, the leaves under mainly indirect sunlight was 1.5cm and 2.4cm. The average length and width of stem from the plant under full direct sunlight was 1.6cm and 0.1cm, the stem of plants under both shade and direct sunlight was 3.7cm and 0.3cm, lastly the stem of plants under mostly indirect sunlight was 3.4cm and 0.2cm. Finally, we measured the soil temperature of all 12 pots, the average temperature of pots under full direct sunlight was 15℃, the average temperature of pots under both shade and direct sunlight was 14℃, and lastly the average temperature of pots under mostly indirect sunlight and shade was 13.7℃. We noticed on our last day of experiment, that the plants under both shades and direct sunlight had the longest and widest leaves, roots, and stems; the plants were healthy and the leaves were bright green colored.. The soil under full direct sunlight had the highest soil temperature, and the plants from full direct sunlight were damaged, dried, and yellowish dark green colored. On the other hand, the plants under mostly indirect sunlight were very moist and the leaves were bright green colored. Calculations We calculated the average of each measurement, which includes the growth of each plant, the size (length and width) of leaves, stems, and roots, and also the soil temperature. In order to find the average, we added them up and divided by the number of plants. For example, since we had 4 plants in each group (for example, the full direct sunlight group) we added the measurements of their length of each stem, and then divided by 4. The number that came out after this calculation was the average of stem size of the plants under full direct sunlight. Data Graphics Measurements of the size of root, leaf, and stem and their average. Root Size (cm) Leaf Size (cm) Stem Size (cm) Soil Temperature(℃)

1.2 Length Width Length Width 14.3 A 0.5 0.7 2 0.1 B 3 1 0.6 2 0.1 14 C 1.5 0.5 0.5 1 0.1 17 D 2.6 0.6 1 1.5 0.1 14.6 A2 8 1.7 2.7 3.5 0.4 14.3 B2 7 1.5 2.4 3.5 0.2 13.5 C2 8 1.5 2.6 3.8 0.4 13.2 D2 6.5 1.8 2.3 3.7 0.2 15 A3 4.5 2 2.4 3.8 0.2 14.6 B3 5.4 1.4 2.5 3.2 0.2 13.4 C3 7.2 1.4 2.4 3 0.2 13 D3 6.5 1.5 2.2 3.7 0.2 14 Average of root size (cm) Average of leaf size (cm) Average of stem size (cm) Average of soil temperature (℃) Length Length Width Length Width Temperature Full Direct Sunlight 2.1 0.65 0.7 1.6 0.1 15 Both Shade & Direct Sunlight 7.4 1.6 2.5 3.7 0.3 14 Mainly under Indirect Sunlight 5.9 1.5 2,4 3.4 0.2 13.7

Discussion Summary of Purpose The purpose was to compare variation in exposures of sunlight and whether it affects plant growth. When our experiment was done, we observed that plants under different amounts of sunlight grew differently in height, size, and width of the plant’s root, stem, and leaves. The “half sun” group of plants, which were placed at the edge of the crown of the oak ceiling creating some shades and also being able to expose direct sunlight, grew the most in height of stems, grew the most in size of leaves, and also had the longest roots. Therefore, different amounts of sunlight affect plant growth and radish plants grow the most under “half sun” with some shades. Explanations for Results I observed that in the beginning of the experiment, “almost no sun” group of plants, which were placed under the oak tree and being able to expose only indirect sunlight, grew the most. However at the end of the experiment, “half sun” group of plants, which were placed at the edge of the crown of the oak ceiling creating shades and also being able to expose direct sunlight, grew the most in height of the stem, size of leaves, and length of roots. This shows that radish plants grow the most under direct sunlight with some shades. I think the plants with full direct sunlight grew slowly little by little relative to other groups of plants, because the full direct sunlight made 200ml of tap water to evaporate in a shorter amount of time, which caused the potting soil to be arid quicker compared to other two groups of plants and prevented the roots of the plants to absorb enough water from the soil. Also during our experiment which was 24 days long, it rained for 6 days, and this weather had a great impact on this experiment because the plants were given more than 200ml of water. On the last day of our experiment, we observed that the leaves and stems of plants under full direct sunlight were all arid and damaged; however the leaves and stems of plants under only indirect sunlight were very moist. Overall, the plants, which were placed at the edge of the branch of the oak tree, with some shades and direct sunlight grew the most and also had the healthiest quality. They had the longest root length, the average was 7.3cm, and they had the greatest size of leaves, average of 1.6cm in length and average of 2.5cm in width. They also had the longest stem size; the average was 3.6 in length and 0.3 in width. Therefore, we concluded that the plants under the edge of the branch of the oak tree with both shades and direct sunlight grew the most relative to other plants. My partner and I knew that sunlight is one of the factors that affect plant growth and was the underlying physical principle, so we hypothesized that the plant under full direct sunlight would grow the most; however we found out that the plant under both direct sunlight and shade grew the most. Significance of findings: Our findings are important because it can be very useful information for a gardener or someone who is going to grow plants. By looking at our experiment, they could be able to realize that for growing radishes half sun, both shade and direct sunlight, is the best amount of sunlight for radishes to be the biggest and healthiest plants. They also will learn the effects of what will happen if they expose too much direct sunlight or too little direct sunlight, mostly indirect sunlight. If the radish plant exposes too much direct sunlight, the leaves will be smaller and destroyed, discolored, meaning that the color would be closer to yellow whether than green, and the plant will not grow much or will not grow in a faster rate. If the plant is not able to absorb enough direct sun light, it will have an access to water and would not grow as much as the plants under enough direct sunlight and shades. The big picture of this experiment is to find out the effects of radish plants when they expose different amounts of sunlight. It helps us to know for future reference which amount of sunlight will help our plants to grow the most and to be the healthiest. Potential Errors As I said before, 6 out of 24 days of our experiment rained which gave our plants more than 200ml of water and made our data to be inaccurate. It would have been better if we placed our plants inside the green house, so it would be prevented from getting more than given amount of water every day. Also since the sun moves, the “no sun” group of plants, which were suppose to only expose indirect sunlight, could have gotten direct sunlight through the gaps of leaves and branches of the coast live oak tree. My partner and I could have measured little bit more than 200g of potting soil in the beginning of the experiment. Lastly, my partner and I could have measured more than 200ml of tap water when we were using the graduated cylinder. Future Questions Having finished our experiment, my partner and I had some interesting questions that could be answered in the future. • Would different color of light affect plant growth? • Would different type of plant, other than radish, give the same result? • If we added a fertilizer into our soil when we planted the radish seeds, would that give us a different result? • Would different type of soil or brand differ the result of our experiment? Summary Summarize entire experiment: We planted one of Cherry Belle Radish seeds into each pot. We grouped 12 pots into 3 groups of 4 pots. We placed them in three different locations so they could expose different amounts of sunlight in order to see which one out of the three would grow the most over a three weeks period of time. One of the locations allowed the plants to expose full direct sunlight, second one of the locations allowed the plants to expose partial direct sunlight by creating some shades under the edge of the Coast Live Oak branches. Lastly, the third one of the locations allowed the plants to expose mostly indirect sunlight and very little amount of direct sunlight through the gaps between the leaves and branches of the same oak tree. We concluded that the group of plants under the edge of oak tree branches grew the most and was the healthiest out of the three groups. The group of plants under the edge of oak tree branches grew the most because it had a balance amount of a direct sunlight and indirect sunlight.

Take home message: 

Half sun, plants underneath the outer branches partially being blocked by the sun, will give the plants the best results for growth. Citations • Aleric, Katherine M.,and L. Katherine Kirkman. "Growth and photosynthetic responses of the federally endangered shrub, Lindera melissifolia (Llauraceae), to varied light environments." The American Journal of Botany 92.4 (2005): 682+. General. 14 Mar. 2010. <http://www.amjbot.org> • Tanouchi, Hiroyuki. "Survival and growth of two coexisting evergreen oak species after germination under different light conditions." International Journal of Plant Sciences 157.4 (1996): 516+. General. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. <http://www.jstor.org> • Bush, J.K., and O.W. Van Auken. "Growth and survival of Porsopis glandulosa seedlings associated with shade and herbaceous competition." Botanical Gazette 151.2 (1990): 234+. General. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. <http://www.jstor.org>