Learning Environmental Sustainability By Experiments: Using Chitosan In Plant Growth

Especially in recent years, due to climate change, the globally significant increase in the food demand, and particularly the dangerous consumption of farmlands, the wish for harmless as well as environmentally friendly food commodities have initiated the search for an alternative biological method that can meet this demand. Chitosan, obtained from chitin, is a natural biomaterial found to be effective in agricultural use in increasing the crop productivity and showing sufficient resistance against pathogens without the need for hazardous chemical substances. Chitin is found in various organisms, such as fungi, marine and freshwater sponges as well as in the exoskeleton of many invertebrates, and can be extracted easily from the waste shells of crabs and shrimps produced by the Seafood industry. Moreover, this natural polymer is the second largest renewable carbon source, making the production of chitosan an economic interest. Chitosan based materials are being investigated by researchers to be used in agricultural purposes. In the experiment, we tested effect of chitosan to germination period and growth rate of two different wheats, Triticum aestivum and Triticum monococcum. It was observed that seeds soaked in chitosan germinated earlier than the seeds soaked in water. As AP Biology students, we have been learning plant growth, organic molecules, and human impact on ecosystems. The scientific skills that we've gained through the year helped us expressing ourselves in different areas such as doing research and projects beyond the exams. Environmental sustainability and biodiversity protection are the biggest challenges for the future. With this project, we tried to see the effects of alternative methods in plant growth by using an organic waste derivative-chitosan and the importance of sustainable agricultural methods for the future of humanity.