Biology Internal Assessment: Effect of light colors on kidney bean plant growth

Vito Bahtijarević

Background information

The light appears colorless when we look at it, but light actually contains all of the colors from
the visible spectrum, from red to violet (Fg. 1). The shortest wavelength is violet while the
longest wavelength is red. All of the wavelengths combined create white light. Without the
light, plants are unable to grow, reproduce or perform photosynthesis. Different wavelengths
(colors) of light in the visible spectrum have different effects on growth of a plant. Blue and red
colors have the greatest effect on growth of a pant while green color of light is the least
effective as most plants reflect green color of light and absorb a low amount of it. It is the
reflected light that makes them green.

1Fig.1: Color wavelength in the visible spectrum

Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)2 is also known as common bean and it is the best suited plant
for an experiment at home. Phaseolus vulgaris is mostly used in household for example in chili
con carne. It is used also used in many cuisines all around the world. In addition, it is the most
toxic bean when raw since it contains high amounts of phytohemagglutinin3.

Research question

1
http://learn.parallax.com/tutorials/robot/shield-bot/robotics-board-education-shield-arduino/chapter-6-light-
sensitive-15
2
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/kidney-bean?s=t
3
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23410632

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How do different colors from the visible spectrum affect the Phaseolus vulgaris plant growth?

Hypothesis

 Null hypothesis- there will be no difference in height of the plant and stem thickness
between different colors of the visible spectrum
 Alternative hypothesis- there will be a difference in height of the plant and stem
thickness between different colors of the visible spectrum

At the end of the experiment, one of the hypotheses will be accepted. Personally, I think that
the alternative hypothesis will be accepted because different colors of light have different
effects on the growth of a plant. My prediction is that the light that contains all of the colors
(white light) will influence the growth of the Phaseolus vulgaris plant the most, that plant will be
the highest.

Variables

Independent variable- the color of the light

Dependent variable- the height of the Phaseolus vulgaris plant and the thickness of the stem in
centimeters

Controlled variables How is it controlled?

Temperature of the room The thermostat in the room will be set at 22oC
during the whole experiment
Duration of light in a day The lamps will be on for 11 hours in a day,
each day from 7am until 6pm
Amount of water The water will be added approximately once
per day, just to keep the soil wet
Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) The same type of bean will be used in the
experiment
Soil The same soil will be used for all of the
Phaseolus vulgaris seeds

2
Apparatus

 25 Phaseolus vulgaris seeds  4 colors of cellophane- red, blue,

 5 shoe boxes big enough to fit 5 green, orange
plastic cups  5 lamps with artificial lights
 25 medium plastic cups (at least  Water
10cm in height, 3.5 cm in width)  Tape
 Soil
 Scissors  Ruler

Method

1. Fill each cup ½ full with potting soil

2. Use seeds from a store (have at least 50) and randomly select 25 seeds
3. Plant the seeds 2.5cm deep in soil
4. Repeat 25 times
5. Take 5 shoe boxes and remove the top from each pone, then put five cups in each box
6. Put the boxes in a room with a thermostat and have the boxes at least 50 cm apart
7. Take the lamps and put each lamp above the boxes so that the light gets only and in
every part of that box
8. Take the colored cellophanes and put one cellophane on one lamp, leaving one lamp
untouched
9. Water each plant so that the soil is wet, approximately once a day
10. Keep a record of the height of the plant and thickness of the stem in centimeters every
second day for two weeks after the germination of seeds

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Processed data

Table 1: Mean values of the height and the stem thickness of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant

1 2 3 4 5 Average
Color of ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
light
White 4.17 0.150 3.90 0.133 4.32 0.183 4.02 0.133 3.93 0.150 4.07 0.150
Red 4.12 0.150 3.67 0.150 3.88 0.133 3.90 0.150 4.03 0.127 3.92 0.142
Blue 3.62 0.150 3.67 0.183 3.48 0.150 3.50 0.100 3.52 0.100 3.56 0.137
Orange 2.70 0.100 2.70 0.133 2.57 0.127 2.73 0.133 2.63 0.127 2.67 0.124
Green 2.37 0.127 2.27 0.100 2.22 0.127 2.37 0.100 2.30 0.100 2.31 0.111

∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

This table shows the mean height and stem thickness change every two days of a Phaseolus
vulgaris plant. There were different changes in both the height and stem thickness every two
days but the mean change shows how different colors of light have influenced the growth of the
plant in different ways.

The Phaseolus vulgaris plant under the white light was growing in height between 3.6 cm and
4.6 cm every second day, and the stem was growing between 0 cm and 0.4 cm thick every
second day (4). The mean average height change was 4.07 cm and mean average stem thickness
change was 0.150 cm every other day. The highest plant under the white light was 30.2 cm and
the thickest stem was 1.3 cm.

4
See appendix 1.

4
Under the red light the plant was growing in height between 3.6 cm and 4.5 cm, and the stem
was growing between 0 cm and 0.2 cm thick every second day (5). The mean average height
change was 3.92 cm and mean change in thickness of the stem was 0.142 cm every other day.
The highest plant under the white light was 28.6 cm and the thickest stem was 1.2 cm.

Under the blue light the plant was growing in height between 1.5 cm and 5.3 cm, and the stem
was growing between 0 cm and 0.3 cm thick every second day (6 ). The mean average height
change was 3.56 cm and mean change in thickness of the stem was 0.137 cm every other day.
The highest plant under the white light was 26.1 cm and the thickest stem was 1.3 cm.

The Phaseolus vulgaris plant under the orange light was growing in height between 2.1 cm and
3.1 cm every second day, and the stem was growing between 0 cm and 0.2 cm thick every
second day (7). The mean average height change was 2.67 cm and mean average stem thickness
change was 0.124 cm every other day. The highest plant under the white light was 20.4 cm and
the thickest stem was 1.0 cm.

Phaseolus vulgaris plant that was under the green light was growing in height between 1.8 cm
and 2.7 cm while the stem was growing between 0 cm and 0.2 cm (8. The mean average height
change was 2.31 cm and mean average stem thickness change was 0.111 cm every other day.
The highest plant under the white light was 18.3 cm and the thickest stem was 0.9 cm.

5
See appendix 2.
6
See appendix 3.
7
See appendix 4.
8
See appendix 5.

5
Fig. 2: A chart showing mean height values for Phaseolus vulgaris

Phaseolus vulgaris
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
White Red Blue Orange Green

Mean change in height

As it can be seen in the graph, the mean change in height is different with different colors of
light. The Phaseolus vulgaris grew the best both in height and in stem thickness when under the
light that contains all of the colors under the visible spectrum and it grew the worse under the
green light. The difference in mean value between those two lights is visibly seen and it is a
substantial difference especially in mean height change.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the alternative hypothesis is accepted meaning that the height of the Phaseolus
vulgaris plant and the stem thickness varied depending on the color of light. Phaseolus vulgaris
plants under the white light color had the highest mean change of height and had the highest
mean change of the stem thickness while the Phaseolus vulgaris plants under the green light
had the lowest mean change of height and the lowest mean change of stem thickness. These
results also prove the predictions made before the experiment and that is that the white light
will have the biggest influence on the growth of the plant.

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Evaluation

The raw data and the processed data look reliable. The experiment itself was a success and
went through with almost no problems. First time the experiment was done, two plants broke in
half so the experiment was repeated and the second try was a success.

There are a few improvements that could be made to have a more precise experiment. There
should maybe be more trials for each color of light for a more definite conclusion to this topic.
The experiment was done at home and not in a laboratory and even though the temperature
and watering of the plants was constant, there was no control over pressure and humidity
which also could’ve influenced the results. Also, the stem and the height of the plant were
measured by a ruler which definitely had human error. So, for the results to be more precise
and to have a smaller error some other tools could be used. The calculations were also rounded
to three significant figures which could’ve slightly changed the result.

All in all, the experiment was a success and it was done in the best way possible considering the
limitations of having only school supplies.

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Bibliography
Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Kidney bean definition . Retrieved February 12, 2017, from
Dictionary.com: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/kidney-bean?s=t

Kumar, S., Verma, A., Das, M., Jain, S., & Dwivedi, P. (2013, June 29). Clinical complications of
kidney bean. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from PubMed.gov:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23410632

Parallax Inc. (n.d.). Introducing the Phototransistor. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
learn.parallax.com: http://learn.parallax.com/tutorials/robot/shield-bot/robotics-board-
education-shield-arduino/chapter-6-light-sensitive-15

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Appendix 1

White Cup number

1 2 3 4 5
N. of days ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
2 4.0 0.2 3.8 0.1 4.3 0.2 4.2 0.2 4.6 0.2
4 8.3 0.4 8.0 0.3 8.8 0.3 8.3 0.3 8.5 0.4
6 12.0 0.6 12.2 0.4 12.9 0.5 12.0 0.5 11.6 0.4
8 16.4 0.7 14.9 0.6 17.0 0.8 16.1 0.5 15.7 0.5
10 20.2 0.8 18.9 0.7 21.3 0.9 20.6 0.7 19.9 0.9
12 24.8 1.1 22.8 0.9 25.8 1.3 24.6 1.0 24.0 1.0
14 29.0 1.1 27.2 0.9 30.2 1.3 28.3 1.0 28.2 1.1
∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

Appendix 2

Red Cup number

1 2 3 4 5
N. of days ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
2 3.9 0.3 4.0 0.1 4.0 0.2 3.8 0.2 4.1 0.2
4 8.1 0.3 7.9 0.3 7.8 0.3 8.1 0.3 8.3 0.3
6 12.4 0.5 11.8 0.4 12.0 0.4 11.9 0.4 12.1 0.3
8 16.5 0.6 14.6 0.6 16.1 0.6 15.2 0.6 16.0 0.5
10 20.3 0.8 19.0 0.7 20.2 0.7 19.4 0.6 20.1 0.7
12 24.1 1.0 22.6 0.9 23.6 0.9 23.0 0.8 24.4 0.8
14 28.6 1.2 26.0 1.0 27.3 1.0 27.2 1.1 28.3 0.9

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∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

Appendix 3

Orange Cup number

1 2 3 4 5
N. of days ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
2 3.9 0.2 3.7 0.1 3.7 0.1 4.0 0.2 3.8 0.
4 6.3 0.3 6.9 0.3 6.8 0.3 7.1 0.2 6.4 0.4
6 9.0 0.3 9.3 0.5 9.4 0.4 10.0 0.4 9.0 0.5
8 11.9 0.4 12.1 0.6 11.8 0.6 12.9 0.6 11.8 0.7
10 14.3 0.4 14.8 0.6 13.9 0.7 15.2 0.7 14.5 0.9
12 17.0 0.6 17.2 0.8 16.6 0.8 17.6 0.9 16.8 1.0
14 20.1 0.8 19.9 0.9 19.1 0.8 20.4 1.0 19.6 1.0
∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

Appendix 4

Blue Cup number

1 2 3 4 5
N. of days ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
2 4.4 0.4 3.8 0.2 4.3 0.2 3.9 0.3 3.9 0.2
4 9.4 0.5 9.1 0.3 9.0 0.4 8.6 0.5 8.5 0.5
6 13.6 0.6 12.9 0.6 13.0 0.4 12.8 0.5 13.0 0.5
8 18.0 0.8 17.4 0.9 17.1 0.6 16.9 0.7 17.2 0.7
10 21.1 0.9 21.1 1.0 20.3 0.9 20.0 0.8 19.8 0.7
12 24.6 1.1 23.7 1.2 23.4 1.0 22.6 0.9 23.1 0.8
14 26.1 1.3 25.8 1.3 25.2 1.1 24.9 0.9 25.0 0.8

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∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

Appendix 5

Green Cup number

1 2 3 4 5
N. of days ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T ∆H ∆T
2 3.8 0.1 3.6 0.1 4.0 0.2 4.1 0.2 3.8 0.2
4 6.1 0.3 5.9 0.2 6.0 0.2 6.5 0.4 6.0 0.3
6 8.8 0.4 8.1 0.3 8.1 0.4 8.9 0.5 7.9 0.3
8 11.0 0.4 10.3 0.3 10.4 0.6 11.8 0.6 10.0 0.5
10 13.7 0.5 13.0 0.5 12.7 0.6 14.2 0.7 12.4 0.6
12 15.8 0.7 15.4 0.6 15.0 0.7 16.4 0.7 14.9 0.6
14 18.0 0.8 17.2 0.7 17.3 0.9 18.3 0.8 17.6 0.8
∆H- mean height change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

∆T- mean stem thickness change of a Phaseolus vulgaris plant after two days in centimeters

These tables show the raw data for each color that was done in the experiment. In these tables
there are heights of each plant and stem thickness of each plant after measuring them.

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