Project Seed-a-Corn

1. Project Seed-a-Corn Group1-015 The Team: Wang Shiyao Brian Low Wei Sheng LiewZhiJie Alex Ng Qiyuan

2. Agenda • Rationale • Choice of Seeds • Lab Research • Procedures • Data • Field Work • Procedure • Data • Further Findings • Overall Conclusion

3. Do you know? The annual world fruit production rose from 379 million metric tonnes in 2003 to about 580 million tonnes in just 5 years? That’s almost twice as much.

4. Rationale Factories core out the seeds while processing fruits into different products • Seeds are often disposed as waste

5. Rationale Make use of waste Saving the Environment =

6. Stuck… Project Fertiliser Cyanide? Science Research Centre (SRC) says ,“NO!”

7. Ah-Hah! Other contents in the seeds Main Ingredients in commercial fertiliser: Potassium Nitrogen Phosphorus

8. Choice of Seeds

9. Choice of Seeds • Looking at the worldwide statistics of fruit production, we chose 3 different types of seeds. • Apple • Apricot • Peach • Some fruits, although produced in large amounts, like grapes do not have seeds, “Seedless grapes” thus being unsuitable.

10. Split of Experiment • Minor of the 2 • Growing Corn • Data Recordings • Major Focus • Testing Nutrients • Data Recordings Lab Research Field Work

11. Lab Research

12. Lab Research Lab Materials ‎1. Cuvette 2. Sample Cells (HACH) 3. Micropipette ( 0.1ml to 1ml) 4. Pipette controller 5. Phosphorus and Nitrate reagents 6. Peach seeds 7. Apple seeds 8. Apricot seeds 9. Andgro commercial organic concentrate(fertiliser) 10. Centrifuge tubes 11. Blender

13. Lab Research Lab Materials 12. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer 13. Colorimeter (DDR 890 Colorimeter) 14.Ammonia Assay Kit -Ammonia reagent -Ammonia standard solution

14. Lab Research Procedures • Nitrate (NO3) • Colourimeter • Phosphate (PO4) • Colourimeter • Potassium (K) • Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer

15. Lab Research Procedures • Preparation • Step 1: Grind Fruit Seeds • Step 2: Mix ground seeds with waterFilter (0.01g/ml) • Step 3: Mix 1ml of Commercial Fertiliser with 100ml of water (1ml of C.F. = 1g)

16. Lab Research Procedures • Filter all 4 mixtures • Dilute each filtrate • Dilution process was such that • 1ml filtrate in 100ml of water > 0.0001 • 1ml filtrate in 1000ml of water > 0.00001 • Samples of different dilution amounts were prepared*

17. Lab Research Procedures • Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) is used to test the amount of potassium • Made sample solutions of each type of seed and the commercial fertilizer • Made more samples of different dilutions • AAS can only test solutions with under 100ppm of potassium

18. Lab Research Procedures • Sample solutions were stored in centrifuge tubes • AAS was operated by SRC Technicians • Recorded results taken from SRC technicians

19. Lab Research Problems… • Insoluble Fertiliser • Unable to measure the amount of nitrate in solution • Bought a bottle of soluble commercial fertiliser

20. Lab Research Problems… • Expired nitrate reagents used in colourimeter • Results were not consistent • Saw difference in colour of reagents • Alerted Lab Technician & repeated the experiment again

21. Lab Research Data Analysis

22. Lab Research Data Analysis

23. Lab Research Data Analysis • Initially found out that plants have 2 sources of nitrogen • Nitrate • Ammonia • According to packaging, the nitrogen is about 5 times more than phosphorus in the commercial fertiliser

24. Lab Research Data Analysis Nitrogen

25. Lab Research Ammonia Testing • Measured amount of ammonia for all 4 fertilisers • Ammonia Test Kit provided by the SRC

26. Lab Research Ammonia Testing • Pipette the following solutions into appropriately marked cuvettes.

27. Procedure • Set the spectrophotometer to 340 nm and the absorbance to zero using water as the reference. • Mix the contents in each cuvette and incubate for~5 minutes at 18–35 °C. Measure the absorbance of each solution at 340 nm.

28. Procedures • Add 10 ml of L-Glutamate Dehydrogenase solution (Catalog Number G2294) to each cuvette. • Mix the contents of each cuvette and incubate for ~5 minutes at 18–35 °C. Then measure the absorbance of each solution at 340 nm.

29. Lab Research Data Analysis

30. Lab Research Conclusion for Lab Research • Commercial Fertiliser still contain an overall higher amount of nutrients

31. Field Works

32. Corn Growing Hypothesis • Fruit seeds would benefit the plant in terms of growth • Not as much as commercial fertiliser would

33. Corn Growing Variables

34. Corn Growing Variables

35. Corn Growing Procedures Before Transplant After Transplant • 40 seedlings in 4 pots • 120ml of water a day per pot • 5 seedlings In 5 pots • 150ml of water a day per pot • Fertiliser added 2 days after transplanting • 1g of fertiliser mixed with 100ml of water per pot • Fertiliser added every week

36. Corn Growing Setups • Total of 5 setups • Control • Apple • Apricot • Peach • Commercial Fertiliser

37. Corn Growing Choosing of Plant • Corn • One of the highest survivability in the toughest of conditions. • Quick Growing (around 60days to maturity) • Produced in huge quatities worldwide and used in numerous products

38. Corn Growing Problems… Again Rains

39. Corn Growing Problems… Again Weekends

40. Corn Growing Data Analysis

41. Corn Growing Conclusion for Field Works

42. Failure? The Commercial Fertiliser has so much more nitrogen and phosphorus than your seed fertiliser! Your growing of corn does not support your hypothesis at all!

43. US Farm Statistics Corn consumes 40% of total crop fertilisers in the United States Pollute Rivers and Lakes Large amounts of Algae 40%~60% of fertiliser added remains as waste on the land Chemical Fertilisers Imbalance in Ecosystem

44. Advantages of Organic Fertilisers Do not pollute lakes Easily available from fruit processing factories Needs to be broken down for algae consumption Not harmful if added in excess

45. Conclusion as a whole • Idea of fruit seed fertiliser is still feasible • Seed fertiliser can be added in larger quantities to increase nutrients in the soil • Environmental friendly

46. What Next? Long Term Take measurements from various commercial fertilisers Vary the amount of seed fertiliser Increase it by tenfolds

47. References Anonymous(2011) Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations. Retrieved on 5 July 2011 from http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancorVerEecke , D.H.(2010) Advantages & Disadvantages of Organic Fertilisers. Retrieved on July 5, 2011 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/211715-advantages-disadvantages-of-organic-fertilizers/Kipe, S. (2004) The World Fresh Fruit Market. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Retreived from 5 July 2011 from http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/Presentations/2004/World%20Fresh%20Fruit%20Market%20(08-04).pdfAnonymous(2007) Ethanol plants and water availability.Institute for Energy and the Environment. Retrieved on 5 July 2011 from http://www.agenergysolutions.org/site/?page_id=213

48. References Anonymous (2007) Corn production is a water intensive process. Institute for Energy and the Environment. Retreived from 5 July 2011 from http://www.agenergysolutions.org/site/index.php?page_id=209Anonymous(2007) Fertlizer intensive activities, such as corn production, create excess nutrients. Institute for Energy and the Environment. Retrieved on 5 July 2011 from http://www.agenergysolutions.org/site/?page_id=217Anonymous(2007) Over-use of conventional fertilizers can dramatically affect the quality of our environment. Institute for Energy and the Environment. Retrieved on 5 July 2011 from http://www.agenergysolutions.org/site/?page_id=216

49. That’s all. Thank you.