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The Effect of Various Types of Water on

Radish Growth (Raphanus sativus)

By: JulyAnh Nguyen

Teacher: Ms. Zhou

Course Code: SBI3U-1

Due Date: July 6th, 2020

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Formal Lab Report

Abstract 

         In order to survive, all life forms need water. On a biological level, water is vital towards the sustainability of

every living thing on the planet by supporting cellular structure, body temperature regulation, waste reduction, and

chemical digestion. The terrestrial plant is no exception to this, through their root system, which is a complex

network of xylem tissues that are specifically designed to attract water molecules from the soil and pull them

upwards through a process called capillary action. This process is vital for the transportation of minerals and water

from soil. It is through water that minerals such as calcium, sodium and magnesium can be accessed and provide the

nutrition that plants need to grow and survive in the long-term. There is no doubt that water play in the development

and growth of plants. However, does water quality affect the rate of growth?

Introduction 

The purpose of this lab was to determine the effect that water quality has on plant growth. It was predicted

that if we manipulate the type of water that was used. The solution with the highest mineral content will result in the

tallest plant. If various types of water were to be examined on the growth then tap water would have a greater effect

on the plant than distilled because it is composed of rich minerals, in comparison to distilled where these elements

are removed from solution entirely.  

For this lab, the growth of Raphanus sativus seeds were experimented on through varying water quality.

Through the use of tap water as the control and distilled water as the variable both mixed with Garden ClubTM soil. It

would be possible to investigate which type of water would produce the tallest radish in terms of height. Radishes

are a suitable choice for testing plant growth because they can yield a sizable plant with stems that can be measured,

and they have a fast growth rate which allow for prompt and effective conclusion for those who grew them. 

A peer-reviewed journal conducted by five scientists in 2019, studied the effect of water quality on the

germination of Okra Seeds. In this experiment, four different types of water were chosen to be the independent

variable which included: Dishwashing greywater, well water, WTP wastewater, dam water and well water, while the
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distilled water was used as the control. Germination was measured by its duration and germination rate. The results

that came back suggest that under the influence of dam water, the growth speed and final length were enhanced the

most compared to the rest of the group (Rasmata, 2019). They concluded that there are similarities to the water

quality used between dams and sinks. This can be traced to how they picked up both organic and inorganic minerals

from runoff which were nutritious for the growth of the Okra seeds. Tap water has less minerals due to the process

of purification; it is removed because they are toxic to the human body as they cannot be absorbed as a source of

nutrition in our cell wall unlike some plants. Plants however do not have to face this risk because plants have the

power to utilize these ions through a process called active transport, which can allow them to take in these mineral

ions.

There are seventeen elements that are essential for a plant to grow (RX Green Technologies, 2020). Three

of which are supplied through the atmosphere which are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen which the plant converts to

nutrients and energy through cellular and photosynthesis. The fourteen others are accessed either in the soil or added

as a supplement through water. Of those fourteen there are two groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macro

refers to how they are required in larger amounts by the plant while micronutrients are suggested in smaller

amounts. Most macronutrients are composed within water such as potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen, further

supporting how necessary they are towards the survival of this organism.

Water is an important factor in agriculture, and its contributions towards the production of crops, fruits and

vegetables elicit its socio-economic importance to man (Rasmata, 2019). The journal believes that it plays a key role

in the fight against drought, water scarcity and malnutrition in certain regions in Africa. Safe drinking water can

prevent water-borne diseases by preventing their spread. Water allows the human body to process nutrients more

efficiently. However, some regions like Burkina Faso, in addition to malnutrition, suffer the lack of enough

available water resources as a consequence to man’s interference with the water cycle.

Materials/Methods

A Styrofoam container, approximately 10 cm in diameter and 600 mL in capacity was used as the pot. Regular

potting soil from Garden ClubTM was used to fill the container to about 7 cm from the top of a 8 cm Styrofoam cup.

Soil was acquired from a local Home Depot in Richmond Hill. Eight Raphanus sativus seeds were planted. Four
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seeds were planted in each cup at a depth of 1.3 cm each and 1.3 cm apart from each other. Soil was patted down

over the seeds, then using a black permanent marker the Styrofoam container was labelled control. Four holes would

then be poked in the bottom of each contains to allow excess water to drain out. The pot would be placed under the

petri dish provided so water does not leak on to the floor. A location with a room temperature of ideally around 22-

25oC, damp, and with exposure to direct sunlight was chosen to conduct the experiment (if possible). Seeds were

watered with tap water until soil appeared moist on the surface and water was able to drain out the bottom. Using the

table below, the length of the seeds was measured to collect quantitative data, and qualitative observations were

noted afterwards. In the days following day one, water continued to be added every other day (e.g. 3, 5, 7, 11) at

4:00 p.m. and observations were tabulated. The amount of water was at the discretion of the waterer but, typically it

was 50 mL at most. Any additional germinated seeds that would be seen over the course of this experiment would

have their length measured separately and labelled accordingly.

Tap Water

Day 1 Day 3 Day 5 Day 7 Day 11

Control #1 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Control #2 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Control #3 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Control #4 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
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In order to determine factors that affect plant growth, a second pot was prepared using the same procedure

above. However, instead the pot would be labelled “variable”. It is here, instead of watering the seeds with regular

tap water, bottled water from Nestlé Pure Life® was used. For it to be a balanced experiment, the seeds were also

watered with 50 mL of water every other day. Once data sets were collected, a comparison was made between the

variable and control plants using three statistical formulas: Mean, Standard Deviation, and T-test. Using Microsoft

excel, average, standard deviation and t-test functions were calculated. Data was presented after using graphs and

extrapolated upon using statistical knowledge.

Distilled Water (Nestlé Pure Life®)

Day 1 Day 3 Day 5 Day 7 Day 11

Variable #1 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Variable #2 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Variable #3 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Variable #4 Length: Length: Length: Length: Length:

(mm)
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:

Results
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Variable Table

Variable Material Description

Dependent Raphanus sativus seeds The Raphanus sativus seeds are the

dependent variable because they are being

measured for their growth in length. 8 will

be planted per pot.

Independent Water Quality The independent variable is the water

quality because experiment requires us to

manipulate the type of water used and

determine which will have greater growth.

Controlled Amount of water To ensure that growth is fair between the

two plants, the amount of water will be

measured using beaker prior to always be

50 mL at most so there is no disparity.

Controlled Type of Soil Locally produced Canadian soil will be

used for both pots to ensure a fair trial.

Controlled The Room Temperature The temperature and location will remain

constant between the two plants at 22

degrees Celsius so there is no

environmental impact

Controlled Time Duration The time of day the amount of water that

will be poured will always be at 4:00 p.m.

to prevent temporal inconsistency in data

result
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Seed Observations

Figure 1: Photo of Radish seeds used. Seeds were small, pink, and spherical and 3-5 mm in diameter. Used 8 in total.
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Figure 3: Image of Styrofoam cups used for lab. It is 10 cm

in diameter and 600 mL in capacity. Image taken from
Figure 2: Photo of Soil used during lab. Locally https://pngio.com/images/png-a629988.html

produced in Canada.

Figure 4: Photo of Distilled Water

used during lab. Added 50 mL every
other day to the variable plant.
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Plant Journal

Day 1

Observations

● For control, added 50 mL of tap water to the pot

until soil appeared moist. No quantitative or

qualitative changes in growth from day 1.

● For Experimental, continued to add 50 mL of

distilled water from Nestlé Pure Life® brand

until soil appeared moist. Seeds did not

Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: From left to right is Tap
germinate from day 1.

● Both were watered at 4:00 p.m

Day 3

Observations

● Continued to add 50 mL of each type of water

to each plant at 4:00 P.M

● Today it was hotter than usual as a result

more direct sunlight.

● Tap water soaked better than usual today

Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3: From left to right is Tap ● Distilled water took longer to soak than tap

● No other quantitative changes to procedure

other than the number of cycles mentioned

above

● There was less soil in each of the pots than

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the days before. More noticeable for tap

water.

Day 5

Observations

● Added 50 mL at approximately 4:00 p.m.

● Noticeable change in plant with distilled water

● One sprout grew to 20 mm

● No other observable changes in the controlled

plant

● Stem was light green in color

Day 7

Observations

● Added 50 mL at approximately 4:00 p.m.

● No growth seen from the tap water plant

● The sprout from the distilled water grew another 5

mm

● Another sprout growing from around the same area

at 3 mm

● Today was cloudy and damp

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Day 9

Observations

● Added 50 ml of water today at approximately

4:00 p.m.

● Tap water seed finally sprouted 35 mm and

looks like a 4-leaf clover

● Bottled water seed from yesterday separate

into two leaves stands at around 50 mm

● Another sprout is growing around the same

area that with one leaf and stands at 45 mm tall

● Water quickly drain through each of the pots

today
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Day 11

Observations

● Both Plants grew a lot today

● The tap water sprouted into 2 separated

branches with a leaf on each branch

● No new seeds sprouted

● The Tap water arguably grow the most from

35 mm to 70 mm

● Distilled water plant both now have two

leaves on each respective branch. Look very

slim and skinny in appearance

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Data Analysis & Calculations

Disti lled Water Vs. Tap Water on the height of raddish  From
seeds
this
Distilled #1 (mm) Tap #1 (mm)
80 75 graph, it
70 73
70 65
can be
60
50
inferred
Height (mm)

50
40 35
30 25 that the
20
growth
10
0 0 0
0 of
1 3 5 7 9 11

Time (Day) distilled

plant
Figure 5: A visual comparison of the height in millimeters between the variable and control plant data at the end of 11 days
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began earlier than the tap water plant starting on day 5 versus day 7. In the span of day 5 and 7, the distilled

water doubled in size and saw gradual and eventual growth from days onwards. The tap water was

inconsistent and slower to grow as it took them two additional days for it finally start seeing growth. In

common, both saw growth within the span of 4 days before slowing by day 9 and onward.

Distilled Water Vs. Tap Water on the height of raddish seeds (Vers.
2)
120
105
100 95

80
Height (mm)

60
45
40
20
20
0 0 0 0 0 0
0
1 3 5 7 9 11
Time (Day)

Distilled #2 (mm) Tap #2 (mm)

nd
Figure 6: A visual comparison of the 2 radish seed growth between the control and variable plant data at the end of
11 days

 From this graph, it can be inferred that the growth of these two plants were two polar opposites. One saw

tremendous growth starting in day 5 before flattening while the other never saw the light of day Could this

be due to random chance or a possible source of error? In comparison to the distilled plant from the first

graph and distilled plant from this graph both started growing at day 3 however this one in particular

continued to double in length and reached at final height of 105 mm at end of the 11th day. Hence, the

growth rate of this plant was much higher than the previous distilled plant.

Calculations

Formulas Used

Mean:
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m=
∑ of the Terms
Number of Terms

Standard Deviation:

∑ (x i−µ)
σ=
√ N

T-test:

x 1−x 2
t=
2 2
( S1 ) ( S 2)
√ n1
+
n2

Data Table

Figure 7: Height comparison table of control and variable radishes after 11 days of growth including calculations of

Mean, Standard Deviation, & T-test.

Analysis

Distilled #1 vs. Tap #1

 The standard deviation was calculated to see the variance of data. It is analyzed along with the mean to

assess the validity of the data. In order to determine the middle range of values, the mean was

calculated equated to approximately 32.75. This was upon comparing the SD value (32.5) of tap water

and overall mean between the two it can be in inferred that the tap water was more clustered closely
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around the mean meaning that it was more reliable for the most part. The opposite can be said for the

distilled water where a smaller SD value of 29.2 was calculated from the formula was below the

threshold meaning that it is a widespread data set over a large range of values hence less reliable

overall.

 The final p-value of the variable plant was greater than 0.05 meaning that result was not statistically

significant and there is strong evidence for the hypothesis to be null. In other words, from this result

neither distilled water nor tap water had an effect on the growth of the first radish seed.

Distilled #2 vs Tap #2

 Due to the lack of data points from tap water #2, the SD and mean for this set of data could not be

extrapolated. As a result, these data points could not be used for further analysis. Despite that setback

the distilled water exhibited similar growth patterns with the distilled plant from the other data set.

 The final p-value of the controlled plant was less than 0.05 meaning that result was significant and

there is strong evidence for the alternative hypothesis to be valid. In this scenario, tap water and

distilled had influenced the growth of the second radish seed.

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Discussion

After carrying out the experiment and analyzing the data it can be extrapolated from this study that water

quality influences plant growth. It was hypothesized initially that tap water would have performed better than

distilled water due to its high mineral content which are beneficial towards the growth of radish plants; however this

was disproven after the results came back showing that distilled water had grown faster and produced much taller

ones from day three. This also contrasted the original study that was used to support my hypothesis. It was there I

started from scratch again to develop a rationale as to why the seeds benefitted more from distilled water rather than

tap water. After further research, what I didn’t take in account earlier was that tap water contained fluorine and trace

amounts of chlorine which can cause a buildup of salts resulting in the dehydration of root structures in the plant.

Excess salts in the long term can inhibit the development and even result, small new growth, dead roots, and the

wilting of leaves according to the Ohio State University Extension (Moore, 2020). Arguably, that is why distilled

water is more favorable for plant growth because it contains none of the salts or minerals found in tap water due to

distillation; a process that boils water into vapor and extract non-volatile organic molecules into the solution. To

provide credibility to my rationale, A similar study was investigated by students in 2007 and the students concluded

as well that distilled water provided superior results (Bouchard, 2007).

In terms of accuracy, the data collection process from this experiment was very questionable because there

is ambiguity. It is safe to assume that if more quantitative data sets were collected during this process it would have

led to a drastically different conclusions for both the tap and distilled plants. There are clear gaps in the data

evidently seen through the calculation of the p-value for both plants. The first radish gave a p-value greater than

0.05, indicating that neither distilled water and tap water had no correlation to the impact on plant growth, however

this was inconsistent to my qualitative observations where distilled water turned out to be the tallest of the two hence

accelerating the growth rate during the experiment. On the other hand, tap water gave a p-value less than 0.05,

which can’t be considered correct either with the absence of a reliable data set. However, an inference can be made

for the distilled water judging by both the first and second who both in common grew in day 3 and doubled in length

the days following. Hence, it would be safe to assume that the second p-value would have most likely been around

the ballpark range of the first based on growth patterns of the distilled and tap water plant from the first data set.
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This could have led to inaccurate results either way because the p-value must have been equal to 0.05 for two

variables to have a correlation with each other which was the ideal scenario for both.

There were several possible sources of errors that undoubtedly impacted the growth potential of all eight

plants that were supposed to sprout during this experiment. One of which being the amount of water added. It was

mentioned earlier during this lab report that 50 mL of water was added consistently each time, however what had

not been considered was if the amount was reasonable or not. It was thought that 50 mL would be the right amount

initially but looking in retrospect it may have been beyond the baseline of what the plant needed, because looking at

the plants that did sprout, all of them looked droopy in structure which is an indication that it had been overwatered.

Furthermore, if it had been the correct amount it would have been safe to assume that new plants would have

sprouted over the course of the 11 days of watering. To compensate, modifications were made to the procedure of

the experiment to control their growth. Based on personal discretion, if they were to be watered every single day, the

water intake from both plants would have dealt more harm towards growth than good. In retrospect, it was due this

modification was for the best because both plants were able to develop as well as they did during the lab. Secondly,

the seed condition is also a factor that is beyond the control of the lab, and from personal experience having

conducted the seed germination lab with those seeds, not all of them are created equal. The last factor was sunlight

exposure, by the end of the experiment all my plants had toppled and died. Further speculation leads me to believe

that it was due to the lack of sunlight, so in that regard a better location could have been selected during the lab that

would have better maximized their exposure to sunlight.

One modification to the pre-existing experimental set-up would be time. The biggest limitation to this lab

was time, otherwise students would have seen a lot more growth and maturity hence a more holistic and concrete

data set. Right now, with how it was designed, students like me were not able to provide a proper and supported

arguments to prove whether their hypothesis was right or wrong due to the time constraint of having one week to

prepare and grow a plant. From personal experience, having looked at other plants, the best timeframe to see the

effectiveness of the nutrients in water is across a period of three weeks or more. If the experiment were to be carried

out again, the best way to improve it would be to allow students additional time for the radishes to fully mature into

their adult stages before concluding on the effect differing types of water has on plant growth.

From this study we can conclude that distilled water will encourage the most rapid and robust growth. This

is important information to farmers and botanists interested in studying larger plants and crop production. But more
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importantly, it sheds light into the unpredictability of growing plants in the agricultural industry. Farmers often

believe they can control the growth of a plant, however there are so many unforeseeable factors that can ultimately

determine their growth in the future. That is what makes this topic so intriguing to examine. Another topic that this

lab touches on is the adverse health effects of drinking tap water in North America, as there are signs that certain

constituents in the composition of the solvent may have serious effects with it containing traces of lead, arsenic and

copper (Arik, 2001). As scientists continue to research and examine the developmental patterns of plants, they will

undoubtedly encounter unknown factors that go beyond just adding water to a plant. In the long-term this will

provide them the background knowledge to develop cutting-edge technologies that can quench our thirsty planet for

years to come.
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Works Cited Page

Azoulay, Arik et al. "Comparison Of The Mineral Content Of Tap Water And Bottled Waters". Journal

Of General Internal Medicine, vol 16, no. 3, 2001, pp. 168-175. Springer Science And Business

Media LLC, doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.04189.x. Accessed 6 July 2020.

Bouchard, Nicole et al. Effect Of Various Types Of Water On The Growth Of Radishes (Raphanus

sativus). N.A, 2007, pp. 2-24, https://msu.edu/~vandefi2/Portfolio/labreport.pdf. Accessed 5 July

2020.

Moore, Shelly. "What Effect Does Distilled Water Have On Plants?". Hunker, 2020,

https://www.hunker.com/12150299/what-effect-does-distilled-water-have-on-plants . Accessed 6

July 2020.

Nana, Rasmata, et al. "Effect of Water Quality on the Germination of Okra

(0RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2Abelmoschus Esculentus1RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2)

Seeds." International Journal of Agronomy, vol. 2019, 2019, pp. 7. ProQuest,

https://search.proquest.com/docview/2314167050?accountid=14022, doi:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/4938349.

"Synthetic Vs Organic". RX Green Technologies, 2020,

https://www.rxgreentechnologies.com/rxgt_papers/synthetic-vs-organic/. Accessed 4 July 2020.

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