N.

PHILLIPS 4C

Naalah Phillips: 4C

Date: 5th DECEMBER, 2017

TITLE: AN INVESTIGATION TO IDENTIFY A MINERAL DEFICIENCY IN PEPPER PLANTS BASED ON VISUAL

SYMPTOMS.

AIM: TO IDENTIFY VISUAL SYMPTOMS WHICH INDICATE A MINERAL DEFICIENCY

APPARATUS/MATERIAL: FOIL

TWO (2) FLASKS

TWO (2) PLANT SPECIMEN

KOLP’S COMPLETE SOLUTION

KOLP’S INCOMPLETE SOLUTION

DIAGRAM OF SETUP:

PROCEEDURE:

A PEPPER SEEDLING WAS OBTAINED AND REMOVED FROM THE SOIL. THE SEEDLING WAS THEN PLACED
INTO A FOIL COVERED FLASK WITH KNOP’S COMPLETER SOLUTION AND AN AIR TUBE, SECURED WITH
COTTON WOOL. ANOTHER PEPPER SEEDLING WAS OBTAINED, REMOVED FROM SOIL AND PLACED INTO
A FOIL COVERED FLASK. THE SECOND FLASK CONTAINED KNOP’S INCOMPLETE SOLUTION, AN AIR TUBE
AND SECURED WITH COTTON WOOL. THE SETUP WAS OBSERVED OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD AND
RECCORDED.

RESULTS:

COLOUR
SOLUTION BEFORE AFTER
KNOP’S COMPLETE SOL’N GREEN IN ALL LEAVES GREEN IN ALL LEAVES
KNOP’S INCOMPLETE SOL’N GREEN IN ALL LEAVES LOWER LEAVES YELLOW
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DISCUSSION:

Plants require various elements, any deficiency the plant has in acquiring these nutrients will lead in the
plant’s ability to grow and reproduce to become compromised. The deficiency symptoms are usually
expressed in leaves, one of the main visual indicators of the plant becoming compromised is Chlorosis.
Chlorosis refers to the yellowing or the paling of leaves because of the lack of chlorophyll production.
The affected leaves won’t be able to undergo Photosynthesis and due to the nutrient count being
reduced further, the death of the plant will ensue. This deficiency is caused by a lack of nutrients such as
iron, nitrogen and magnesium. Knop’s solution in its complete form is the principle solution in the
experiment; which contains specific amounts of calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, magnesium sulfate,
potassium phosphate, and potassium chloride dissolved in water.

In the experiment, the plant that was exposed to Knop’s complete solution remained green while the
plant in the incomplete solution showed yellowing leaves on the lower stems. While the yellowing is an
indication of the lack of nutrients N, S, Fe, K P and Mg, the deficiency is deduced to be that of
Magnesium (Mg). Magnesium is the binding agent of the chlorophyll molecule,

IMAGE OF A CHLOROPHYLL MOLECULE WITH MAGNESIUM HIGHLIGHTED

with no magnesium, chlorophyll cannot form thereby compromising the plants ability to create its food.
Thus, the leaves undergoing Chlorosis.

Precautions:

The experiment contained the same plant, the plant was entered into the flask at the same time and the
plants were stored in the same place.

Sources of Error:

The observation time of specimen may have been too short.

Limitations:

While visual indicators highlight certain deficiencies, the plant can fail to thrive due to unknown nutrient
needs.
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Conclusion: Visual indicators such as the yellowing of lower level leaves do reveal the lack of nutrients,
as seen where the flask that contained the full complement of nutrients thrived, and the incomplete
solution of nutrients showed signs of chlorosis due to the inability to photosynthesized in the absence of
a binding element, magnesium (Mg), diminishing the plant’s capacity to obtain nutrition, grow and
reproduce.

Reflection: The visual representation of the theoretical study has deepened my knowledge of the topic.
Nutrients, though naked to the naked eye, have a huge impact on the plant’s chemical and physical
being and it was really interesting to see and touch.