The Influence of Roadside Conditions on the Shoot Growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa)

Title

The Influence of Roadside Conditions on the Shoot Growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa)

Description

Urban runoff from snowmelt and rain events is caused by impermeable surfaces such as roads and parking lots, and has the ability to carry an array of pollutants into roadside environments. Contaminants in runoff such as salt from road deicing efforts, motor oil from leaking cars, or excess water can affect surrounding soils and bodies of water, and therefore vegetation. To see how different roadside conditions and seed varieties affect the aboveground growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa), three seed varieties were grown under conditions in which they were watered weekly with varying concentrations of saline (230 mg/L NaCl, 4 g/L NaCl, or 35g/2L NaCl), grown in motor oil polluted soil (5% oil w/w or 10% oil w/w), or were grown in compacted soils (1.5cm or 3.0 cm compaction). Seed variety had a significant effect on aboveground growth (p < 0.05). Increased salinity and oil pollution in soil caused significant declines in aboveground growth (p < 0.05), while soil compaction prior to planting caused a marginally significant decline in plant growth (p = 0.0547). These results indicate that urban runoff should be monitored to ensure that roadside plants continue to grow successfully and aid in flood control and soil erosion.

Creator

Tezbir, Kayley

Publisher

Rider University

Date

Contributor

Sendall, Kerrie

Relation

Baccalaureate Honors Program

Format

Adobe Acrobat PDF

Language

English

Type

Capstone

Files

Tezbir_Independent Study Final Paper- Kayley Tezbir.docx.pdf

Citation

Tezbir, Kayley, “The Influence of Roadside Conditions on the Shoot Growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa),” Rider Student Research, accessed March 28, 2024, https://riderstudents.omeka.net/items/show/52.

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