Effects of nitrogen fertilizer on drought-affected corn (Zea mays)

This project explored the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on droughted corn plants. It aimed to investigate whether the amount of fertilizer would affect the rate at which the plant underwent photosynthesis. The hypothesis was that nitrogen would have little or reduced effect on a droughted plant, due to the requirement of water to undergo photosynthesis. To test this, three nitrogen treatments (zero, low, and high concentrations) and two water treatments (well-watered and droughted) were used on corn plants. Chlorophyll concentration, height, stomatal conductance, internal CO2, and photosynthesis were measured for eight weeks of treatment. Increased water primarily had an effect on the height of the plant, while the nitrogen treatments primarily affected chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rates. This suggests that while plants experience stunted growth when droughted, they do not experience a significant change in photosynthetic rates, which are decided by the nitrogen content of the soil rather than the water content.