The effect of Panax quinquefolius extract
and Camellia sinensis extract on the
growth and germination of Phaseolus
vulgaris L. beans
BY: C AT HY C HIN
ABSTRACT
Green tea and ginseng are widely known for their benefits to our bodies which
may be for plants as well. The purpose of this study is to determine if Phaseolus
vulgaris L (kidney beans) in green tea would grow faster than in ginseng. The green
tea and ginseng was crushed, blended, filtered and poured 20ml into the 200g of
soil. This was done for 3 pots of green tea and 3 pots for ginseng. As a result, the
kidney beans grown in green tea had a higher growth rate than in ginseng. The
average length of shoot for green tea was 4.6; for ginseng it was an average length
of 2.48 +, and the control with water only was 6.58 average for shoot length. The
extracts decreased the growth of kidney beans compared to the control. Future
studies can involve the difference of concentrations for green tea and ginseng and
see if it affects kidney beans. This study can be done in different places with
different factors to see if it affects the growth of the plant.
Keywords: green tea, kidney beans, ginseng
INTRODUCTION
Green tea is widely known throughout the world for its benefits in the human body. One
benefit of green tea is the high concentration of polyphenols which blocks the absorption of
cholesterol. A study was done by Zheng XX and others in 2011; involved 1,100 people who
were randomly assigned to drink green tea or drink it daily for several months (Zheng XX and
others 2011). As a result, the researchers found that the average of the subjects who received
green tea on a daily basis for one month had a small change in their cholesterol. The bad
cholesterol (LDL) had dropped 2.2 milligrams per deciliter, which is approximately a 2%
change (O’Conor 2011).Green tea contain polyphenols. These tannin compounds are the
source for green tea which has beneficial health effects and can be extracted by hot water. In
my research I will brew the green tea to extract the polyphenols.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) have similar
chemical makeup they contain saponins compounds called ginsenosides. However
Siberianginseng (Eleutherocococus sentiicosus) differs from the American and Asian ginseng
because it does not contain the same ingredients. Panax ginseng is believed to boost immune
system and seems to be an antioxidant. Ginseng is considered to be good for your heart, health
and relieve stress (Myers 2012). I used ginseng in my research because it contains saponin
compound which can help the growth rate of phaseolus vulgaris L.
CONTINUED….
The Canadians had done studies on North American ginseng extract to see if the 323 subjects
could reduce the intensity of colds. One group took 200 mg tablets of an unknown brand of
North American ginseng extract and another group took an identical tablet of rice powder. The
subjects kept logs of their symptoms and were checked on once in a while to see if they were
taking it. The placebo group showed 23% of more colds over the winter. However the people
who took the ginseng extract were shown that they had colds one third fewer days then the
placebo group. The average days of cold for people who took ginseng was lower than the other
group (Bakalar 2005). Previous studies have been conducted on the effects of ginseng on
humans and animals but not on plants; therefore, I have chosen ginseng to determine its effect
on plants.
Kidney beans are known as dry edible beans, field beans and scientifically known as
Phaseolus vulgaris L. Dry beans do not work well with heavy clay soil. Phaseolus vulgaris L
stands upright much better compared to other plants (Jefferson Institute, 2011). Field bean seeds
contain 22% protein, 2% fat, 61% carbohydrates, 5% fiber and a good amount of vitamins and
minerals. They are widely grown in places like South America, Asia, and etc (L.L Hardman and
others 1990) and I will be using Phaseolus vulgaris L. in my experiment because of its high
protein content. Since it’s widely grown around the world there should be a higher demand for
this product. In my experiment, I used green tea and ginseng to determine their effects on the
growth and health of Phaseolus vulgaris L. in an attempt to address the increase in demand. By
increasing the health and growth rate of this plant, we will be growing kidney beans for shorter
periods of time; therefore, there is an increased amount of beans that will be available
throughout the year as opposed to seasonal and cost reduction for kidney beans.
HYPOTHESIS
If the Camellia sinensis extract and the Panax quinquefolius extract are poured on the
Phaseolus vulgaris L. plant, then the green tea extract will have a higher growth rate.
This is because it has high antioxidant activity and prevents certain bacterial infection;
this may lessen the bacteria growth on Phaseolus vulgaris L. beans (American Cancer
Society 2012).
MATERIALS
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Ginseng (panax quinquefolius) (50g)
Unfermented leaves of Green tea (Camilla sinesis) (50g)
Mortar and pestle
Beakers
Filtration apparatus
10 pots
100 kidney bean seeds
Ruler
Funnel
Soil (not fertilized) (200g)
Graduated cylinder
Filter paper (9cm)
PROCEDURES
The ginseng was purchased from a nearby Chinese supermarket and the green tea (Camellia
sinesis) was purchased at a local store. The ginseng extract was made by cutting 50 g of the
Panax quinquefolius root and putting it in a blender with 15 ml of filter water. After that is
done, it was placed in a container labeled Ginseng extract. Next the green tea extract was made
from 50 g of unfermented leaves of Camellia sinesis. A mortar and pestle was used to crush the
green tea leaves in filtered water and then I labeled the content “extracted Green tea.”
Then I set up the filtration apparatus; a funnel was put through the ring holder. The 1000
ml beaker was placed below the funnel. I took the filter paper of 9 cm and folded it into three
sections and placed it on top of the beaker. Next, I poured the ginseng extract into the funnel
and then the filtrate was collected. The filtration process was repeated for the green tea extract
experimental set up. The soil with no fertilizer was prepared. Then, 200g of soil was poured in
nine pots. The Phaseolus vulgaris L seeds were planted 2 cm below the surface for each pot.
For the first three pots, 20ml of green tea extract was measured with a graduated cylinder and
poured into each of the pots. For the next three pots, 20ml of ginseng extract was measured
with a graduated cylinder and poured into each pot. In the last three pots, I poured 20ml of
filtered water into the control group. I put each group under the white light to germinate.
RESULT
In groups 1-3, the total number of kidney bean seeds that germinated is
50% for the green tea group. In groups 4-6 the total number that germinated
is 21 out of 30 beans or, as shown in table 2, 70%. The total number that
germinated for groups 7-9 is 25 out of 30 which is 83 % germinated. The
total number of the measurement of growth for groups 1-3 is 23.5, whereas
for groups 7-9, the total amount is 49. As for groups 4-6, there was no leaf
growth.
For group 1 the total measurement of shoot growth is 16 mm; group 2’s
total measurement is 18 mm; group 3’s total is 36 mm. The average length
of shoot for green tea is 4.62 and the average length for ginseng is 2.48. The
control group’s average length of shoot is 6.58.
CONTINUED…
Table 1. Average length of growth
Group
Table 2. The growth of kidney beans
Extract
# of
Amount
seeds of
extract
(mL)
# of seeds
germinated
Measurement
of shoot (mm)
Measurement of
leaf (mm)
Green
tea
Green
tea
Green
tea
10
20
5
7,3,4,1.1
2.5,3,0,0,3,3
10
20
4
7,5,3,3
3,3,3,0,0,0,3,3
10
20
6
10,4,6,8,6,1,1
3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,4
,3
4
Ginseng
10
20
8
2,2,2,1,2,1,1
No leaves
5
Ginseng
10
20
8
No leaves
6
Ginseng
10
20
5
8,5,5,3,4,2,1,
2
1,4,2,.1,3
7
Water
(control)
10
20
8
8,8,6,4,6,4,2,
2
3,3,3,3,3,3,0,0
8
Water
(control)
10
20
8
9,7,8,7,4,1,1
2.5,3,2,2.5,3,0,0
,0
9
Water
(control)
10
20
9
9,6,7.5,7.5,9,
7,10,1,1
3,3,0,3,3,3,3,0,0
#
1
2
3
No leaves
Group Extract
#
%
germinated
Average
length of
shoot +
Standard
Deviation ±
Average
length for
leaf+
Standard
Deviation ±
1
Green
Tea
50%
4.6+ 2.7
2.4 + 1.3
2
Ginsen
g
70%
2.5+ 1.81
No leaf
growth
3
Water
(contro
l)
83%
6.6 + 2.9
2.0 + .3
Average of length and shoot
The Average Length of the Shoot
(mm)
7
6
8
6
green tea
4
ginseng
2
water
0
green tea
ginseng
water
Type of Extract
Graph 1. This graph shows the average length of shoot in mm.
The control group had the highest shoot growth compared to the
other 2 extracts. The average length of the green tea was higher
than the ginseng.
Averages
Average Length (mm)
CONTINUED
5
4
Green tea
3
Control
2
1
0
1
2
Extracts
Graph 2. This graph compares the average length and shoot
between green tea and control. The control has a higher
average than green tea as showed above
Control group( left picture), Green tea group (upper right),
Ginseng group (lower right)
DISCUSSION
As a result my hypothesis was supported because the groups grown in green tea
extract had a higher growth rate than the groups grown in ginseng extract. The green tea
may have shown more growth than the ginseng because green tea has high antioxidant
activity and prevents certain bacterial infection (American Cancer Society 2012). After
the course of a few days the green tea extract still had a pleasant scent, whereas the
ginseng had a terrible scent. The bad smell may have been an indication of bacteria in
the extract. When I poured the ginseng on to groups 4, 5 and 6, it took a while to seep
through the soil rather than the control and green tea.
Another reason that beans in ginseng germinated poorly or stopped growing could be
that the seeds were planted too deeply so the plants took a while to grow through the
soil. The ginseng group could be acidic to the plant making it not grow as much. It
probably took the plant awhile to kill off the bacteria that were in the seed/ soil. The
green tea, on the other hand, probably had more nutrients than the ginseng. The control
grew the most out of the ginseng and green tea group. This may be because water is
more neutral than the 2 other extracts; the green tea and ginseng probably have different
components, whether they are complex or simple molecules.
CONCLUSION
The results have shown that the control group had the most growth of
all groups. The control group also had the highest average of shoot growth.
The green tea group was found to have a higher growth rate then the
ginseng group. There could be many other factors affecting the growth of
the ginseng group. Further research could show if different concentrations
of green tea and ginseng extract could affect Phaseolus vulgaris L.
CITED REFERENCES
Bakalar Nicholas. ]2005 November 1 Ginseng May Reduce Number and Severity of Colds
[online] Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/01/health/01gins.html.
Accessed 2012 October 15
Hardman LL, Oplinger ES, Schulte EE, Doll JD, and Worf GL. 1990 May. Field Bean
Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetic. Corn Agronomy [online]
Available from http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Crops/FieldBean.aspx. Accessed 2012
October 19
O’ Conor,Anahad. 2011 August 22. Really? The Claim: Drinking Green Tea Can Help Lower
Cholesterol. Well blogs. New York Times [online]. Available from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/really-the-claim-drinking-green-tea-can-help-lowercholesterol/. Assessed 2012 October 1