The Effect of Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Growth of Vigna Radiata
A common but very important issue in agriculture is the fact that the growing population is raising the capacity for the amount of food necessary from farms. This experiment focuses on increasing the yield of farms with an easy to locate fungi called mycorrhizae. This fungi breaks down nutrients in the soil so the roots of the plant can easily obtain it. Also, harmful diseases can be blocked due to the addition of mycorrhizal fungi to the plants.
There were three factors tested throughout this experiment: fertilizer, mycorrhizal, and water. Mung beans or Vigna Radiata were grown in the same amount of soil with varying levels of these factors. After a week, they were taken out and measured from the roots.
The results showed that fertilizer had a negative effect on the plants. This is shown in Table 8, the effect value given from the DOE is negative. This means that the fertilizer actually lessened the growth of the mung beans. Mycorrhizal and water had positive effects with water having the largest. The interactions between fertilizer, water, and mycorrhizal show that both the effects of fertilizer and mycorrhizal depend on the amount of water added to the plant.
Research Conducted By:
Nathan Orlando
Lake Shore High School
Rico Encabo
Warren Mott High School
Warren Consolidated Schools