The Effect of Ibuprofen on the Growth of Radish Roots
In this experiment, a solution of ibuprofen in water was used to simulate commonly used drugs that are released into wastewater, and radish seeds were soaked in this water before they were grown. After letting the radishes grow over the course of one week, their roots were measured to determine whether or not nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs flushed into the environment have a significant effect on crop growth. This research helps the scientific community in the fact that research is being done on a developing issue that scientists are still unsure of the effects. Researching how commonly used drugs flushed into the environment affect crop life opens the door to studying how these same drugs affect humans when we ingest the infected crops. It was hypothesized that if radish seeds are exposed to wastewater containing ibuprofen, the growth of the radish roots will increase after one week.
A two-sample t test was used to analyze data in this experiment. In the two-sample t test, the null hypothesis, Ho, stated that the mean root length of the control group of radish seeds, those that were soaked in plain water with nothing added, is the same as that of the treatment group, those that were soaked in water with ibuprofen added to it. The alternative hypothesis, Ha, stated that the treatment group’s mean root length is higher than that of the control group. From the results of this test, the null hypothesis was rejected. Because of this, it can be determined that the root lengths of radish plants whose seeds were soaked in water with and without ibuprofen are not equal. Therefore, it can also be concluded that the ibuprofen caused the radish roots to significantly increase in length.
Research Conducted By:
Lauren Champlin
Cousino High School
Jessica Damer
Lake Shore High School
Warren Consolidated Schools