What is the impact of water pollution on plants?
5-1834
Nativity Catholic School
Archdiocese of San Francisco
5th Grade
2024 San Mateo County Office of Education STEM Fair
Abstract
Does the kind of water a plant gets affect its growth?
For my experiment, I had two plants that were twins. They both got the same sunlight, soil, but there was one big difference – the water they received. One plant got clean water, and the other got water with cleaning product in it to make it polluted. I checked my plants everyday, looking at their leaves and growth. I wanted to see if there was a difference after a while. The plant with clean water grew really well. Its leaves were green and happy. But, the plant with polluted water didn't do so good. Its leaves became brown and weak. My experiment showed that plants like clean water better. It's important to make sure plants get good water to be able to grow and survive. I had a lot of fun doing this project, and now I know that clean water is super important for plants to grow big and strong.
Purpose Statement
The reason I’m doing this project is to prove that pollution is bad for the Earth because it kills plants.
My project is to compare two plants. One will receive clean water and the other one polluted water. I want to see how both plants grow and if one dies.
It will help others to understand why it’s important to not pollute. This is why I’m doing this project.
Hypothesis
Plants that are receiving polluted water will grow slower and die earlier than the ones receiving clean water.
Plants receiving clean water have more leaves and fruits and their appearance looks healthier.
Experimental Procedures and
Materials
Procedures
Experimental Procedures and
Materials
Experimental Procedures and
Materials
Variables
Experimental Results
Day 1: Two similar and healthy plants (succulents).
One will receive clean water, the other will receive polluted water. Polluted water consists of:
They have the same size (55 mm), same soil, same sun exposure, same pot and same amount of water.
Experimental Results
Day 5: The polluted plant doesn’t grow whereas the clean one grew a few millimeters.
60 mm
55 mm
Experimental Results
Day 10: The polluted plant starts having brown and weak leaves. It doesn't look as healthy as the clean one.
Polluted Plant
Clean Plant
Experimental Results
Day 15: The polluted plant is dying.
Polluted Plant dying
Clean Plant
Analysis of Experimental
Results
After a few days, the plant that receives the polluted water looks very unhealthy, with brown and weak leaves. It doesn’t grow as much as the other one.
On the other hand, the plant that receives clean water looks healthy and grows a few centimeters, its leaves are green and look great.
Conclusions
This experiment shows the effect of water quality on plant growth. The plant receiving clean water shows healthier growth with vibrant leaves. On the other hand the plant exposed to polluted water displayed signs of stress with brown and weak leaves.
The pollutants in the water affects its growth and vitality which aligns with my hypothesis: clean water is essential for the well being of plants.
Moving forward, it would be interesting to explore specific pollutants and their impact on different plant species.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank, Florie, my mom, for helping me with this project.
She purchased the supplies and help me find the project.
Bibliography and
Sources
Pollution - National Geographic Kids - 2023 - Allyson Shaw
Pollution facts for kids - Kiddle - 2023 - Kids Encyclopedia Facts
What causes water pollution? - Climate Kids - 2023 - Heather Doyle