Brassica Rapa Essay

Introduction
The plant Brassica rapa (field mustard) is a species in the Brassica genus that includes a variety of different vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage (Williams & Hill, 1986). The B. rapa plant originated in Europe but grows in a variety of places all over Asia (Courteau). In places like North America and China they are seen as weeds because the plant is neutralized (Courteau). Now, they are seen more and more in garden homes all across the states (Courteau). Brassica rapa plant grow rapidly and healthier in moist soil, however, they can grow in dryer regions as well (Young-Mathews, 2012). Brassica rapa can reach thirty to one-hundred and twenty centimeters long and tend to be soft with smooth-hairy leaves (Courteau).
There were a total of four pots used to test our hypothesis. All the pots where filled with soil until it reach the top of the pot. We then made four small indents in each of the pots towards the middle of the pot and placed a seed, using forceps, in each of the four indents. Once the seeds were in each of the pots, we covered the seeds with the soil around them. The pots were then watered and placed into a large growing plate that was covered with mesh netting. On week two, we used an index card and measured one centimeter in length to use as we photographed the growth of our plants. Taking the index card, we placed it behind two of our plants and took a picture using our phones to track the plants growth progress. After taking our photos we collected a total of eight photos; two photos per pot. Using ImageJ, an image analysis program, we measured the length of our plant and the width of the stem. The treatments where then added to each of our pots. Using a graduated cylinder, two of our pots (our control group) received forty millimeters of pH 7, and the remaining two pots (the treatment group) received forty millimeters of pH