Wrong as Rain
by Sam F.
6th Grade - 2nd Place

Question: Will acid rain negatively affect a cabbage plant more if sprayed on its leaves or added to the soil?

Hypothesis: Acid rain will have a greater negative effect on the plant when it is added to the soil. The acid rain on the leaves will turn them a different color, but will not kill them. Acid rain will kill a plant through the soil, but not through its leaves.

Conclusion: This scientist investigated the different effects of acid rain on cabbage plants. The hypothesis that the acid rain will have a greater negative effect on the plant when the water is added to the soil, while acid rain on the leaves will turn them a different color but not kill them, was proven partially correct. Plant #3 is completely dead. Plant #2's leaves showed extreme changes in color, but only two leaves died. This scientist thinks that Plant #3 was affected more than Plant #2 because plants absorb water mostly through their roots and receive little, if any, water through their leaves. In comparing Plant # I to #2, there are differences that indicate that Plant #2 was slightly affected by the acid rain through its leaves versus regular water, although not as much as Plant #3 was affected through the soil. Therefore, acid rain in this experiment had a negative effect on plants through both leaves and soil when compared to water with a normal pH.

This experiment shows that if acid rain water collects in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of still or moving water, and this acid water is transported to other areas or seeps deeper into the ground, then there will be a direct impact on plants close to this water even if they were not directly affected initially by the rain itself. The results of this experiment are important because our society needs to learn to further reduce air
pollution so that there will not be problems with acid rain and its damaging effects on our plants and wildlife.