Chan - Russo 1

The Effect of Soil Depth and Sand Content

on the Growth of Zea Mays
Written by: Eric Chan and Heidi Russo
Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center
Biology 1
9B
Mr. Estapa
Mrs. Gravel
Mr. Acre
28 May 2014

Chan - Russo 2
Table of Contents
Introduction..3
Problem Statement...6
Experimental Design7
Data and Observations.....9
Data Analysis and Interpretation...18
Conclusion.....25
Works Cited...27

Chan - Russo 3
Introduction
Zea mays, also known as corn is a plant that is known for its many uses. From being used
as a food in the time of the Native Americans to today as a source of fuel both for animals and
machines. Some basic facts about corn include that it grows up to 10 feet tall and its product can
multiply the grain yield by 500 fold. One acre of corn can produce approximately 160 bushels of
corn annually. 160 bushels of corn is equal to 56 pounds of corn and 56 pounds of food could
feed a few hundred people (FAQ). Imagine the people that could be fed if just a few acres of
corn were planted in third world countries. In the research project that was performed, it was
determined whether or not sand affected the growth of corn. The information that is gained in the
experiment will be useful when helping third world countries. Even in countries where the soil is
sandy, corn will grow. Besides providing a remedy for the growing food shortage problem, using
corn in ethanol 85 or E85 as a new fuel source for cars is slowly decreasing the demand for the
use of fossil fuels. The fossil fuels that are used today are quickly being depleted because of the
increasing demand for them. E85 is a corn based fuel source that is quickly produced due to corn
growing quickly, and is proven to be cleaner for the environment than burning fossil fuels.
In this experiment two variables were tested, the amount of sand in the soil and how far
the seed was planted into the soil. It was planned to put different amounts of sand into each cup
in order to see how it affected the growth of the corn. If the sand did not affect the corn poorly
then it could be that corn could be grown in sandy places. The experiment was performed by
planting corn seeds different depths into soil with different amounts of sand and watering them
every other day. The first few days were the set up days of the experiment. These days were
spent sorting out the high high (+,+), high low (+,-), low high (-,+), and low- low (-,-) cups,
filling the cups with soil, mixing the sand in, and planting the seeds. After the cups were

Chan - Russo 4
prepared and the setup for the samples was completed, the experiment was started. The corn was
watered every two days for three weeks and the height measured every two days as well. Every
day the height was measured, it was recorded into data tables, which were used in statistical
analysis.
There were other variables, comparisons to other works and processes that were not
tested in the experiment. For example, the structure of the seed, which is how the seed is
constructed. The seed of a corn plant is the individual kernels themselves, the kernels include
an outer coat that is the most visible, and on the inside, there is the endosperm, cotyledon,
coleoptile, plumule, radicle, and coleorhiza, which are the structures, used to create a new corn
plant from the kernel. Another variable was the effect of water. The effect of water on the seed is
that when the seed is exposed to moisture, then the seed will burst releasing a root with which it
collects nutrients and water. This root is important to the plant as it is its main and only way of
getting the nutrients it needs from the soil. A major process that was not tested in the experiment
was photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in plants to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into
oxygen that animals breathe (O2) using light energy from the sun. This was not measured
because of the enormous difficulty and expense that recording this data would take. Work done
by other researchers could also not be compared, as there were no experiments found using the
exact same two variables as this one. Similar experiments however were used and they showed
similar results when compared to the work in this experiment.
In order to understand the research being done there are a few words and concepts that
need to be explained. In order to analyze the experiment to find out which of the factors in the
experiment was statistically significant, a DOE was constructed. DOE stands for Design of

Chan - Russo 5
Experiment. A Design of Experiment is the design of any information-gathering exercises where
variation is present or controlled experiments.
The research being done is on the plant called Zea mays, also known as corn. The two
factors affecting corn in the experiment are the amount of sand in the soil that the corn is grown
in and how far the seed is planted into the soil. The first variable, the amount of sand added to
the soil, was chosen as it is used in sand bags in hurricane prone areas for holding water back.
This is helpful, as the sand will help the soil retain the water added to the soil better because sand
holds water in. The second variable, the depth at which the seed was planted, was chosen
because the researchers wanted to determine if planting the seed at the recommended soil depth
was necessary or if it was just a suggestion. The purpose of the depths is to give the roots of the
seed more room to grow. The amount of sand added to the soil will affect the growth of the corn
because the sand makes the soil dry up the soil less quickly meaning the soil will have more
water for the roots to use. Other research however, has shown that sandy soil has better drainage
than clay soil but less water retention (Kopec). The reason sandy soil worked in the experiment
was because the soil was watered enough that the soil retained the water and the roots absorbed
the retained water to keep the corn alive. The depth of the corn seed in the soil will affect the
growth of the corn sprout because if the seed is planted shallower in the soil then there will be
more room for the roots to grow in and the plant has more room to access nutrients and water.

Chan - Russo 6
Problem Statement
Problem:
The effect of the depth of soil and sand on the growth of Zea Mays.
Hypothesis:
Different soil depths and amounts of sand are used, the growth of Zea Mays will be
affected.
Data Measured:
The independent variables were the depth of soil, measured in centimeters (cm) and the
amount of sand mixed in measured in milliliters (mL). The dependent variable was the length of
the sprout. Length is measured by the change in height of the plant over time. For the means of
this experiment, the length of the corn samples were described as the samples height; therefore,
the growth rate of the corn was calculated as the change in soil depth and sand for each group.
There were four test groups and one control group planted under ideal soil depth and sand, one
group planted deeper than the ideal depth with less than ideal sand, one group planted deeper
than ideal depth and more than ideal sand, one group planted above the ideal depth and less than
ideal sand, and one group planted above the ideal depth and more than ideal sand. Fifteen trials
were performed for each group, besides the standards in which there were ten; therefore, the total
number of trials was 70.

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Experimental Design
Materials:
(75) 266.162 mL (9 oz.) Clear Plastic Cups
1 pkg. (100 ct.) Burpee Sweet Corn Seeds
7.257478 kg (16 lbs.) Gummers Potting Soil
50 mL graduated cup

Sharpie
2.26796 kg (5 lbs.) Quikrete Play Sand
Ruler with cm markings
Spoon

Procedure:
Setup:
1.
Mark 10 cups as Standard.
2.
Mark 15 cups as (+,+).
3.
Mark 15 cups as (+,-).
4.
Mark 15 cups as (-,+).
5.
Mark 15 cups as (-,-).
6.
Fill all 70 cups with 8 cm of soil.
7.
Fill the 30 cups marked either as (+,-) or (-,-) with 5 ml of sand.
8.
Fill the 15 cups marked as Standard with 10 ml of sand.
9.
Fill the 30 cups marked either as (+,+) or (-,+) with 15 ml of sand.
10.
Pour each cup individually into the flowerpot and stir until the soil and
sand is evenly mixed.
11.
Once evenly mixed, pour the soil and sand back into the cup.
12.
Plant 1 seed in each cup labeled as either (-,-) or (-,+), 3 cm from the
surface of the soil and sand mixture.
13.
Plant 1 seed in each cup labeled as Standard 4 cm from the surface of the
soil and sand mixture.
14.
Plant 1 seed in each cup labeled as either (+,+) or (+,-), 5 cm from the
surface of the soil and sand mixture.
15.
Water the seeds every day and wait for 1 to 2 weeks for the seeds to sprout
and the sprout to be visible from the surface of the soil.
16.

Use scissors to cut a small hole in the bottom to allow water drainage.

Recording Data:
17. Continue to water plants every day (if necessary) not including weekends.

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18. Record height of plants every two days not including weekends.
19. Record height of each plant on a chart as seen below in Figure 1.
20. Record data for 1 month.
Diagram:
Table 1
Table of Heights

Table 1 shows a sample table for recording the height of the corn seedling sprouts.

Data and Observations

Data:
Table 1.
Design of Variables
+

Soil Depth (cm)

Standard

Sand Content (mL)

Standard

Chan - Russo 9
3

10

15

Table 1 shows the variables that were used in the experiment. We determined the standard
factor for the depth of the soil by measuring the length of the cup and using a reasonable length
in order to grow the corn. We determined the standard value for the sand content by discussing a
reasonable amount so that it makes an affect but not too much, so that the corn does not grow at
all.

Table 2.
Raw Data

Date

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

5 cm
5 cm 4 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
DOE Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL
Sand Sand Sand

3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand

Chan - Russo 10
(+,+)

3/17/2014

(+,-)

Std.

(-,+)

(-,-)

0.5

2.5

0.5

5.5

0.5

7.75

10

5.5

2.5

3.5

10

10

0.25

3.5

11

1.5

3.5

12

1.5

5.5

13

0.25

0.25

14

1.5

15

2.5

Table 2 shows the height of the corn measured in centimeters on the first day of trials.
Table 3.
Raw Data

Date

3/19/2014

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

5 cm
Soil
DOE Depth,
15 mL
Sand
(+,+)

5 cm
4 cm 3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth, Depth, Depth,
5 mL 10 mL 15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand Sand Sand
(+,-)
Std.
(-,+)
(-,-)

10.9

12.5

2.7

2.6

0.8

2.3

5.4

4.3

6.6

4.2

8.5

0.7

6.5

9.8

8.4

10.1

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6

14.6

3.5

9.2

1.5

7.6

5.9

6.9

9.1

8.4

5.6

7.2

0.5

10.9

14.6

7.9

1.1

10

2.4

3.2

7.5

11

4.8

6.8

12

5.2

10.2

13

7.4

14

6.7

5.6

3.5

15

6.5

Table 3 shows the height or the corn measured in centimeters recorded on the second day of
trials.
Table 4.
Raw Data

Date

3/21/2014

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

5 cm
5 cm 4 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
DOE Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL
Sand Sand Sand
(+,+)
(+,-)
Std.

3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand
(-,+)
(-,-)

13

17

7.5

11

7.1

14

12

10

17.5

18.5

11.1

11

9.9

10

13

12

7.9

12

15.25

18.5

10

10

4.5

12

Chan - Russo 12
11

7.5

12

14.5

13

10

5.5

14

9.5

5.5

15

8.5

13.5

Table 4 shows the heights of the corn measured in centimeters recorded on the third day of trials.
Table 5.
Raw Data

Date

3/24/2014

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

5 cm
5 cm 4 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
DOE Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL
Sand Sand Sand
(+,+)
(+,-)
Std.

3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand
(-,+)
(-,-)

14.4

17

6.3

9.5

12.5

3.6

14.5

13

6.9

9.5

17.5

20

7.5

10.5

12.2

10.5

10.5

14.5

13.5

7.5

13

16.5

18.5

11.5

10

13

11

7.5

8.5

12

16

13

11

4.25

14

10

15

9.5

7.5

14

Chan - Russo 13
Table 5 shows the height of the corn sprouts measured in centimeters on the fourth day of trials.
Table 6.
Raw Data

Date

3/26/2014

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

5 cm
5 cm 4 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
DOE Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL
Sand Sand Sand
(+,+)
(+,-)
Std.

3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand
(-,+)
(-,-)

16.5

19.8

8.5

4.9

7.4

11

7.2

9.2

13

11.1

13.7

10

18.1

14.6

7.7

11.4

21.2

21.3

13.7

10

4.9

14

14

13.5

17

13.5

10.9

15.8

4.5

18.5

22

15.2

10

5.5

15.6

11

10.8

9.1

12

11

18

13

12.5

5.5

6.4

14

11.3

13.6

6.8

15

11

18

2.5

Table 6 shows the height of the corn sprouts measured in centimeters on the fifth day of trials.
Table 7.
Raw Data
Date

Height of Corn (in centimeters)

DOE
5 cm
5 cm 4 cm 3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth, Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL 15 mL 5 mL

Chan - Russo 14
Sand
(+,+)

Sand
(+,-)

Sand
Std.

Sand
(-,+)

Sand
(-,-)

23

24.4

10.6

12.3

13

17.1

15.8

20.6

18.1

21.6

5.6

15.9

25.2

19.8

14.7

16.3

26.9

26.4

10.3

15

17.2

7.5

23.7

19.5

19.1

23.6

14.4

16.7

23.4

8.7

25.3

24.6

20

10.8

10

10.5

21.9

11

15.9

16

12

18.8

24.8

13

20.4

11

12.8

14

18.4

6.6

20

10.9

15

18.8

16.5

22.6

3/31/2014

Table 7 shows the height of the corn sprouts measured in centimeters on the sixth day of trials.
Table 8.
Raw Data
Height of Corn (in centimeters)

Date

DOE

4/2/2014

5 cm
5 cm 4 cm 3 cm 3 cm
Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil
Depth, Depth, Depth, Depth, Depth,
15 mL 5 mL 10 mL 15 mL 5 mL
Sand Sand Sand Sand Sand
(+,+)
(+,-)
Std.
(-,+)
(-,-)

24.6

29.8

14

14.3

11.2

16.4

18.5

18.9

20.6

22.5

16.3

27

Chan - Russo 15
5

22.6

16.4

17.5

28.5

31.6

12

20

18.5

11.6

8.8

25.9

20.2

22.8

26.4

13.1

18.5

30

8.6

25.5

28.8

22

14.4

10

13.1

23.7

11

18.2

18.7

12

20.7

26.6

13

21

13

14.8

14

19.6

8.5

21.6

14.1

15

20.6

19.1

28.1

11.1

Table 7 shows the height of the corn sprouts measured in centimeters on the seventh day of trials.

Observations:
Table 9.
Observations
Date

Observations

3/17/14

Growth of corn is just beginning and there is nothing to compare the height with.
The corn sprouted quickly, within a matter of days.

3/19/14

All corn seeds that were sprouted grew more. Significant height differences in a
few but not all.

3/21/14

Corn continued growing at about the same pace and even less zeros.

3/24/14

Corn sprouts continued growing at the same rate. There was no change.

3/26/14

Corn sprouts continued growing at the same rate. There was no change.

Chan - Russo 16
3/31/14

Standard 3s stem broke which affected the data. The rest of the corn sprouts
continued growing at the same rate.

4/2/14

(+,-)s stem broke which affected data. The rest of the corn sprouts continued
growing at the same rate.

Table 9 above shows the observations made during each day that data was recorded.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Table 1
Table of Variables
Soil Depth (in centimeters)
3

Standard
4

Sand (in milliliters)

+
5

Standard
10

+
15

Table 1 shows the variables used in the experiment: soil depth, and sand. The table shows
the lows, standards, and highs for each variable. The values for the soil depths used are as
follows: 3 cm (low), 4 cm (standard), and 5 cm (high). These values were chosen because 5 cm is
the recommended planting depth, 4 cm because it was a central distance from the bottom of the

Chan - Russo 17
cup to the top of the soil, and 3 cm because it stayed with the one centimeter difference from the
high to standard value. The values for the amount sand added to the soil are as follows: 5 mL
(low), 10 mL (standard), and 15 mL (high). These values were chosen because 15 mL would be
adding a major amount of sand to the sand already in the soil which would potentially not allow
water to flow through, 10 mL because it was 2/3 of 15 mL and 5 because it was 1/3 of 15 mL.
Table 2
Average Height of the Corn Sprout
Runs

Average Height
on Last Day of
Data Recording

Soil Depth

Sand Content

+
+
-

+
+

14.74
15.83
8.29
17.35

Average Height
on First Day of
Data Recording
2.93
1.73
0.33
2.82

Average

8.84
8.78
4.31
10.09

Table 2 shows the results for the tallest height of the corn sprout under each combination.
It also shows the average height of the corn sprout under each combination. The grand average
can be found by adding the four averages together and dividing by four. In this case, the grand
average is 8.01 cm.
Table 3
Effect of Soil Depth on the Growth of Corn
Soil Depth
(-) 3 cm

(+) 5 cm
8.78
10.09

Avg. = 9.44
Figure 1. Effect of Soil Depth

8.84
4.31
Avg. = 6.58

Chan - Russo 18

Table 3 and Figure 1 above show that on average, as the deeper the seed is planted in the
soil the less the sprout will grow. Figure 1 shows that as the seed is planted deeper into the soil,
the sprout grew taller. This means that the deeper the seed is planted in the soil the height of the
plant would decrease by about 2.87 cm. This is calculated by subtracting the low value average
from the high value average.

Table 4
Effect of Sand of the Growth of Corn
Effect of Sand
(-) 5 mL

(+) 15 mL
8.78
4.31

Avg. = 6.55

8.84
10.09
Avg. = 9.47

Chan - Russo 19

Figure 2. Effect of Sand

Table 4 and Figure 2 above show that on average the more sand in the soil there was the
taller the corn grew. Figure 2 shows that the more sand that was added to the soil the more the
plant grew. This means that the more sand that was in the soil the height would also increase by
about 2.92 cm. This is also calculated by subtracting the low value average from the high value
average.
Table 5
Interaction Effect Data on Corn Growth
Sand
(-) 5 mL
Soil
Depth

Solid
Segment
Dotted
Segment

(+) 5
cm
(-) 3
cm

(+) 15 mL

4.31

8.84

8.78

10.09

Chan - Russo 20

Figure 3. Interaction Effect

Table 8 above shows the average height of the corn sprouts for each group and Figure 3
shows the line segments for the high and low soil depth. Since the segments do not have parallel
slopes, there may be an interaction effect. The interaction effect is 1.61. The interaction effect is
found by subtracting the slope of the dotted line from the slope of the solid line. Since the two
line segments do not have parallel slopes then there may be an interaction. The graph shows that
because of the interaction of both variables, the low value of the solid line ended up being
significantly lower the high value of the same line, resulting in a taller corn sprout. However
though it also shows that the low value of the dotted line was somewhat close to the high value,
resulting in a corn sprout that was very close to each other in height. This means that if the corn
seed is planted more shallowly in the soil then the corn sprout will grow more.
Table 6
Average of Daily Standards
Date 3/17/2014 3/19/2014 3/21/2014 3/24/2014 3/26/2014
Avg.
4.075
7.08
8.9
8.75
11.1
Height

3/31/2014
13.24

4/2/2014
13.11

Chan - Russo 21

Figure 4. Scatter Plot of Average Daily Standards

Table 6 shows the average of the data collected for the standards for each day of
recording during the experiment. Figure 4 shows a scatter plot of the same data with a pattern of
a steady increase. This was expected as the height of the corn sprout is supposed to increase over
time. The range of standards is 28.8 cm. After doubling the range of standards, the value would
be 57.6 cm. This value is used to determine which effects are statistically significant and which
are not as shown below in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Dot Plot of the Effect Values

Figure 7 shows the effect values on a number line with two fences being the value of
double the range of standards. Anything outside of these fences is deemed statistically

Chan - Russo 22
significant and anything inside is deemed statistically insignificant. As shown here, none of the
variables was significant to the outcome of the experiment.

Y = 8.01 + noise
Figure 5. Parsimonious Prediction Equation
Figure 5 shows the Parsimonious prediction equation. This prediction equation only
shows the grand average, any variables that mattered, and noise. As determined in Figure 7,
there were no statistically significant variables so the prediction equation only shows the grand
average plus noise.

Y = 8.01 + noise 8.01

Figure 6. Interpolation Prediction
Figure 6 shows the interpolated equation. Since there were no variables to interpolate the
equation would simply be the grand average because noise is unquantifiable. This equation
predicts that if the experiment were recreated using the same values of this experiment, then the
height of the corn, after the full trial period of 17 days, would be around 8.01 cm tall.
Interpretation of Statistical Results
The data shows that none of the variables would have affected the outcome of the
experiment statistically speaking. Although the variables did not have any statistical effect, the
variables however did what was scientifically expected. The effect values show that sand had the
biggest effect on the growth of the corn sprout at 2.92 cm. The effect of the soil depth at around
-2.87 shows that as soil depth increased the height of the corn seed actually decreased. This
would be logical as the seed is being planted farther into the soil so that the corn sprout would

Chan - Russo 23
need to grow more to reach the surface of the soil, where the data recording began. The range of
standards shows what was expected to happen to the corn sprout as the height continually
increased.

Chan - Russo 24
Conclusion
The original hypothesis, if sand is added to the soil then the corn sprout will grow more,
was accepted in the experiment as the effect value of sand at 2.92 cm shows that sand increased
the height of the corn sprout.
The experiment was conducted for the purpose of helping the farmers that grow corn
grow it faster and to help areas with high amounts of sand in their soil grow corn more
efficiently. It was planned to use two to three days doing the initial steps of mixing the sand and
soil and planting the seeds. After that, data recording would begin when the sprouts became
visible in most of the cups. From there 3 weeks would be taken to record the data. The data
recorded was the height of the corn sprouts from the surface of the soil in each cup. The data that
was recorded, or the results, were that in the samples with the high amount of sand (+,+) or (-,+),
the samples had a taller corn sprout in the end compared to the ones with the low amount of sand
(+,-) or (-,-).
The results of this experiment compare to the ones done by other researchers is similar, as
the corn will do what it is expected to do in nature. Other researchers that have conducted similar
experiments have come up with similar results and have published reports that contain findings
similar to (Olayiwola et. al.).
After the experiment, it was concluded that there were a few flaws. When setting up the
experiment the sand was mixed with the soil in a pot but when the mixture was poured into, the
plastic cup a little bit was left in the pot. This might not have affected the results but it affected
the procedure. If this experiment was conducted, again it's recommended that another object is
used for mixing the sand and soil in or that all of the mixture is taken out of the pot.

Chan - Russo 25
During the trial period, one error that was found was that when the data was recorded
each day, the point on the surface of the soil that the data was recorded from was not consistent.
This means that if the surface of the soil was uneven then the data could have been recorded
from a point higher or lower than where it was recorded the day before.
To gain further knowledge of this topic, it would be necessary to extend the trial period,
as this would gather more data to be incorporated into the data that is presented here, and would
give further insight on what would happen if the experiment were continued. If more data was
collected then the trends observed here may have reversed such that soil depth has a bigger effect
than the sand or the trends would continue to stay the same. Another way to gather more data on
this would be to change some of the variables such that there would be data that could be
compared to the data here to see if the results would be similar or drastically different.
The experiment that was conducted can be applied to society by helping farmers that
grow corn in sandy or third world countries farm more and receive more crops. If more crops
were grown it could be distributed to the less fortunate without food. The crops also could be
used for feed on farms and when the supply of the feed meets the demand more money could be
made which helps the economy.
While conducting the research a few things were learned. One was that low amounts of
sand had a slight positive effect on the growth of corn. Its something that was always believed to
be false. For example, one article says, the shape of sand particles contributes to the rate of water
evaporation from the surface of the soil and affects its moisture content (Misopolinos). This
however contradicts with the research done by other groups as their research has given results
that says sand should negatively affect the crop by allowing water to drain faster (Sand
Features).

Chan - Russo 26
Works Cited
M. Kopec, David. "Soil Characteristics and How They Affect Soil Moisture."
Cooperative Extension Turf Tips. 2.10 (1995): n. page. Web. 19 May. 2014.
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