THE EFFECT OF CAFFEINE ON THE GROWTH OF PLANT

Preliminary Data

 What is Caffeine ?

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class.[10] It is the
world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug. Unlike many other psychoactive substances, it
is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. There are several known mechanisms of
action to explain the effects of caffeine. The most prominent is that it reversibly blocks the action
of adenosine on its receptor and consequently prevents the onset of drowsiness induced by
adenosine. Caffeine also stimulates certain portions of the autonomic nervous system.

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline purine, a methyl xanthine alkaloid, and is chemically related
to the adenine and guanine bases of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). It
is found in the seeds, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to South America and East Asia
and helps to protect them against predator insects and to prevent germination of nearby seeds.
The most well-known source of caffeine is the coffee bean, a misnomer for the seed of Coffea
plants. Beverages containing caffeine are ingested to relieve or prevent drowsiness and to
improve performance. To make these drinks, caffeine is extracted by steeping the plant product
in water, a process called infusion. Caffeine-containing drinks, such as coffee, tea, and cola, are
very popular; as of 2014, 85% of American adults consumed some form of caffeine daily,
consuming 164 mg on average.

 Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. When it reaches your brain, the most
noticeable effect is alertness. You’ll feel more awake and less tired, so it’s a common ingredient
in medications to treat or manage drowsiness, headaches, and migraines. Studies have also found
that people who drink coffee regularly have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and
dementia, and cut suicide risk by 45 percent. These benefits are limited to people who drink
high-octane coffee, not decaf. Some people consider coffee to be a health drink, but like most
foods, over indulging can cause side effects. For example, too much caffeine can give you
headaches. This is primarily linked to caffeine withdrawal.The blood vessels in your brain
become used to caffeine’s effects so if you suddenly stop consuming caffeine, it can cause a
headache.

 Sources of Caffeine

Caffeine is an alkaloid occurring naturally in some 60 plant species, of which cocoa beans, kola
nuts, tea leaves and coffee beans are the most well-known. Other natural sources of caffeine
include yerba maté, guarana berries, guayusa, and the yaupon holly. Caffeine is added to many
popular soft drinks, and is also a component of a number of pharmacological preparations and
over-the-counter medicines including analgesics, diet-aids, and cold/flu remedies.

 What Does a Plant Need to Grow ?

Plants meet their needs in different environments in different ways because the quantity or
quality of resources varies from one ecosystem type to another. To appreciate the complexity of
natural communities and make comparisons between them, students need to understand the basic
needs of living organisms and how these resources are obtained.

This lesson focuses on the “L” in LAWN—light. Leaves capture energy from thesun and convert
it to glucose (sugar), a process called photosynthesis. Plants use this energy to power the
construction of living tissue so that they can grow and reproduce. Leaves contain chloroplast
where photosynthesis occurs. During photosynthesis, chlorophyll (the green pigment contained
in chloroplasts) captures the energi of sunlight and transfers it to other molecules within the
chloroplast. There, radiant energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide from air, and water and
nutrients absorbed by the roots are combined to make glucose (sugar). Oxygen is a by product of
photosynthesis and is used by most living things (including plants) to carry on respiration

Sunlight provides energy, and it also gives off heat. All plants survive within a range of
temperatures that provide the appropriate warmth in which to carry out metabolic processes, and
sunlight is the primary source of this warmth. Temperatures and light levels vary seasonally in
temperate zones, having a profound effect on the yearly growth (and dormancy) cycles of plants
in these regions. Day length is known to be a cue for the internal production of flowering and
fruiting hormones for some plants. This is the reason that some plants that have been brought to
southern California from other latitudes may not flower, fruit, or leaf out as they would in their
native environment.

 What is the Effect of Caffeine on the Growth of Plant ?

The effect of adding caffeine to the soil and its effect on plant growth is a subject that has been
studied for quite some time. Some plants seem to benefit and grow faster when caffeine is added
to the soil, while others seem to become stunted or grow slower. There are also some plants that
are not affected by the presence of caffeine in the soil.
Caffeine can be introduced to the soil by sprinkling grounded coffee over the soil, adding
leftover coffee to the pot or watering with a caffeine solution made by dissolving a caffeine
tablet in water. The grounded coffee is actually organic matter and will help in adding nutrients
to the soil. It will also attract worms that feed on the grounded coffee and at the same time help
to aerate the soil. Many gardens are known to add grounded coffee to the soil in order to
accelerate plant growth. However, it is not clear whether the improved growth is due to the
caffeine or the presence of potassium and phosphorous in coffee. It is also possible that caffeine
retards plant growth but the presence of potassium and phosphorous in coffee reverses this
effect.

Hyphotesis
- Plant grow taller with coffee
- Plant does not grow with coffee

Experiment

 Materials
The materials required for this science fair project:

- 1 packet of mung beans

- 3 gardening pots
- Enough soil to fill the 3 pots
- Gardening utensils
- Tap water
- Caffeine tablets
- Coffee powder
- 2 beakers
- 1 measuring cylinder
- 1 digital weighing scale
- 1 black marker

 Procedure

1. Procedure:

For this science fair project, the independent variable is the solution used to water
the plants water, caffeine solution and a coffee mixture. The dependent variable is
the growth of the mung bean plants. This is determined by measuring the height of
the plants every day using a ruler. The constants (control variables) are the size of
the pot, the concentration of caffeine and coffee, the amount of sunlight, the
temperature of the environment (which will remain at room temperature) and the
amount of water added daily.
 2. Fill the 3 pots with equal amounts of soil. Plant ten mung beans in each pot and
allow them to germinate. Additional seeds can be placed in the pots in case some of
the seeds do not germinate; the additional plants can be removed later.
3. For the first 5 days, water the 3 pots with tap water only. Allow the seeds to
germinate for the first 5 days.
4. After 5 days, measure the height of the 10 plants in each pot. Add up the individual
heights and divide by 10 to obtain the average height. Record the average heights in
a table, as shown below.
5. Prepare the caffeine solution by dissolving 10g of caffeine tablets in 100ml of water
in a beaker. Label the beaker ‘caffeine’. Similarly, add 10g of coffee to 100ml of
water in another beaker and label it ‘coffee’.
6. Label the 3 pots ‘water’, ‘caffeine’ or ‘coffee’. Over the next 10 days, water the pots
once a day with 100ml water, caffeine solution or coffee mixture, according to the
labels on the pots.
7. Measure and calculate the average height of the mung bean plants every day for the
next 10 days. Record all calculations in a table, as shown below.

Data Gathering

Solution Height of mung bean plants (mm)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Water 38 46 53 61 68 77 85 92 99 107
Caffeine 37 43 48 52 56 59 62 65 68 71
Coffee 39 47 55 63 72 81 92 102 113 125

Data Analyzation
The results show that the mung bean plants grew faster when they were watered using the coffee
mixture, but the growth was slower when the plants were watered using the caffeine solution.

Conclusion
The hypothesis that mung beans watered using a coffee mixture will grow the fastest has been
proven to be true. The effect of caffeine on plant growth is still a subject under study. Using
grounded coffee in garden lawns is a common practice to make plants grow faster. However,
coffee also contains other ingredients like potassium and phosphorous, which are known to
enhance plant growth. Experiments on plant growth using only caffeine have resulted in the plant
leaves becoming wrinkled, turning brownish and exhibiting retarded growth.