THE EFFECT OF FERTILIZER ON THE OIL CONTENT OF LEMNA MINOR
The experiment conducted was focused on determining if the amount of fertilizer applied to Lemna Minor (common duckweed) while growing affected the oil content of the duckweed. It can be concluded from the experiment whether fertilizer levels affect the oil content of duckweed. To carry out the test, duckweed was cultivated and allowed to grow in three separate groups: high fertilizer content, low fertilizer content, and no fertilizer content or control. Then the duckweed was collected, air-dried, the oil was extracted using acetone to break down the cellular bonds, and then the pulp is filtered out of the acetone-oil solution. From here, the acetone is either distilled or evaporated from the solution, and the remaining oil is massed. The mass percent of oil compared to the original mass of the duckweed from the high and low samples are compared to the mass percent of oil from the control samples using a t-test to determine if the fertilizer levels had a significant effect on the oil content. It was concluded that neither the low or high fertilizer content levels had a significant effect on the oil content of duckweed.
Research Done By:
Mike Daugherty
Lake Shore High School
Kevin McCarty
Lake Shore High School
Warren Consolidated Schools