The Effect of Heavy Water on the Growth of Crops (1)

Abstract

We experimented the effect of different concentrations of heavy water on the germination and growth of harley. Exp. 1. In each of seven perti dishes we placed a sheet of blotting paper having been immersed in the solution which had different concentration of heavy water in distilled water, namely 0/000, 1/000, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/5000, 1/10000, respectively and barley seeds were sowed on the paper. Exp. 2. (method) Seven glasses were filled with sand, and the sand in each glass was saturated with the same solutions as mentioned in the exp. 1 respectively. Barley seeds were sowed on the sand and each glass was covered by a glass plate to prevent evaporation from the surface of the sand. Exp.3. (method) This time, germinationg barley seeds were planted in the holes of the corks set in the seven bottles which contained the different concentrations of heavy water diluted with KNOP's solution instead of using distilled water. Conclution: As to the germination percentage' of seads, we found that the concentration of 1/4000 was greater than the others and the control shwed superiority over the 1/1000and 1/10000. In KNOP's solution, plants of the 1/1000and 1/10000 concentrations heavy water plots and the control showed longer growth in the top length than that of the 1/4000, while the 1/4000 resulted the longest in the root length of all.