The Effect of Different Wavelengths of Light on Plant Absorbency

Abstract

            We conducted a study to investigate the phenomenon of plants responding differently to the exposure of different lighting conditions. In order to do this, we measured the oxygen concentration of enclosed containers housing two different plant species of different colors – one green, one purple. Our hypothesis was that plants would not grow successfully if grown under the same color of light which they reflect because they will not absorb the necessary energy for photosynthesis to function. We used a spectrometer, an O₂ sensor, a LoggerPro system, and a chromatography set to observe the effect of three different colored lights – green, red, and blue – on the two plants.