Altering the development and growth of bean plants using fertilizer

ABSTRACT
Fertilizers help plants by providing minerals necessary for them to produce hormones
and carry out every cellular function related to their growth and development.
Analyzing the effects of different concentration of fertilizer diluted in the growing
medium of bean plants Phaseolus vulgaris, this study determined that depending on the
concentration a fertilizer is used in plants it had some effect on their growth which were
evidenced by stem height.

Low amounts of fertilizer inhibited plant growth and

development as shown by experimental group with 2.5% concentration in this

experiment. On the other hand, higher concentrations of fertilizer, 5% and 7% for this
case, did not present a significant statistical difference in height, thus plant growth, in
comparison with the control group.
INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of the time, humans have used the resources the
environment offers them to satisfy their basic needs, especially nourishment. For
instance, civilization began with agriculture and from that time to now, people have
seen the necessity to improve the quality of every single crop (Community, 1996).
Different techniques to achieve this objective have been used, including the use of
growth hormones to stimulate the development of the plants or substances that stimulate
the production of hormones.
Naturally, plants produce hormones that are chemical signals to regulate their
growth and reproduction. There are five major hormones produced by plants, however,
only auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins stimulate plant growth or regulate stem
elongation (Webber, n.d.). The problem is that these hormones are usually present in
very low concentration and thus the seeds do not grow as fast as it is expected. As

consequence, fertilizers started to be used in agriculture to control the rate of plant

growth by stimulating the production of hormones and adding other minerals vital for
plants nourishment (Controlling plant growth,n.d.).
Usually soil fertilizers can offer a quick nutrient source to growing vegetables
but at the same time they can harm plants when the concentration is not appropriate. For
the purpose of this study mineral fertilizer which contains nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium in a fixed 15:15:15 ratio was used to prepare solutions of different
concentration in which the plants grew. This substance satisfies the needs of plants
evenly by providing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These elements stimulate the
production of sugar and thus influence the development of the plant (Projar, n.d.).
Several experiments carried out by farmers have suggested that nitrogen is an essential
element required for successful plant growth as well as phosphorus and potassium.
Plants use nitrogen in the synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, and hormones, whereas
potassium and phosphorus improve enzymatic functions and contribute to other cellular
activities (Cheng-Wei Liu, 2014). The concentration of these substances in the aqueous
medium growing of a plant can alter its grow and development.
Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of fertilizers on growth
stimulation; for instance Marc van Iersel, in his study of the effects of fertilizer
concentration on growth and nutrient composition of a plant, exposed that different
concentration of fertilizer EC in the growing media of pansies had significant effect on
the growth of these plants (Van Iersel, 1999). Furthermore, other studies as Effect of
fertilizer on plant growth, evaluated the effect different types of fertilizer have on plant
development (Effect of fertilizer on plant growth, n.d.); notwithstanding this project
assessed the extent of the influence that different concentrations of the same fertilizer,

15-15-15 of N-P-K, can have on plant growth by growing bean plants in three aqueous
medium that differ from each other in the concentration of the fertilizer diluted.
To conclude, this study presents the development and the results of an
experiment that looks forward to providing information about the importance of
fertilizer concentration when using mineral compost to stimulate plant growth.
Phaseolus vulgaris seeds, which grow in almost every type of soil and are characterized
for the fast rate of growing, were the experimental subjects for the project.

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