| | Category | BO | L10 | Effect of Salinity on Transpiration |
| | Abstract | In this project, the effect of salinity on the transpiration rate of corn plants |
| | was carefully investigated. Excessive accumulation of salt in the soil, |
| | which often occurs on cropland, creates drought-like conditions that |
| | impact the intricate functions of a plant. One of these important systems is |
| | the process of transpiration, closely associated with the ability to absorb |
| | moisture. I hypothesized that if the salinity of irrigation water for corn |
| | plants increases, then their transpiration rates will decrease. |
| | An experiment was conducted, in which 20 corn plants were separated |
| | into 4 groups, one of them being the control group. The first experimental |
| | group received 0.1 gram of salt per liter of water for around 2 days. The |
| | second and third group received 0.2 and 0.3 gram per liter respectively. |
| | Due caution was taken to ensure that none of the solutions are in a |
| | concentration high enough to cause serious damage or death. Plastic |
| | tubes were placed over 2 leaves of every plant to collect the evaporated |
| | water. The amount of water transpired, the area of the leaves, and the |
| | time taken for transpiration are measured to calculate the transpiration rate |
| | for every level of salinity tested. The results showed little or no pattern of |
| | change in transpiration in the tested range of salinity. Further testing was |
| | done for a different range of salinity consisting of 0 to 3 grams per liter. A |
| | definite trend displayed a decrease in the rate of transpiration with |
| | increasing levels of salinity. |
| | Bibliography | Blaylock, Alan D. Soil Salinity, Salt Tolerance, and Growth Potential of |
| | Horticultural |
| | and Landscape Plants. Cooperative Extension Service. University of |
| | Wyoming. Feb. 1994. 25 Dec. 2009 |
| | <http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/WY988.PDF>. |
| | |
| | Corn Growth and Management Quick Guide. North Dakota State University |
| | and |
| | University of Minnesota. June 1999. 2 Jan. 2010 |
| | <http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/rowcrops/a1173/a1173w.htm>. |
| | |
| | Dashefsky, H. Steven. Botany High School Science Fair Experiments. New |
| | York, New |
| | York: Mcgraw-Hil,1995., 1995. Print. |
| | |
| | Introduction to TDS. The Grow Store. 29 Dec. 2009 |
| | <http://www.thegrowstore.com/infopages/tds.asp?parentid=12>. |
| | |
| | Kimball, John W. Gas Exchange in Plants. Kimball's Biology Pages. |
| | Copyright ©2010 |
| | John W. Kimball. 27 Dec. 2009 |
| | <http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/G/GasExchange.ht |
| | ml#leaves>. |
| | |
| | Kimball, John W. Transpiration. Kimball's Biology Pages. Copyright ©2010 |
| | John W. |
| | Kimball. 27 Dec. 2009 |
| | <http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/Transpiration.html |
| | >. |