Natalie Blake – Virtual Southeast Regional Arkansas Winner

Hypothesis: Ionization of salt water will increase leaching to lower depths of the soil which will avoid
the root uptake of Glycine max.

Procedure: The student planted multiple varieties of Glycine max to grow to adults. An average root length was taken from the plants. Next the student built an electromagnetic pump for irrigation. The hose was fitted into the pump. A copper coil was wound around the hose forming a solenoid. The ends were attached to a battery during watering to ionize the saline water. Three 40 cm pots were filled with dirt. The student watered the three pots, one with 1000 mg saline to 1L of water (1000 ppm concentration), one control with plain water and one with 1000 ppm saline run through an electromagnetic pump. The pots were watered with these concentrations and allowed to dry between watering. After one week, samples were taken from the soil removed one layer at a time and tested with the saline meter.

Results: The pot of soil irrigated with the electromagnet had a lower concentration of salt in the level
of the root uptake zone.

Conclusion: Evidence suggested that the hypothesis was correct in that the ionization of salt water
will increase leaching to lower depths of the soil which will avoid the root uptake zone of Glycine
max.