The Effect of Acoustic, Electric and Metal Guitar Music to the

Growth of Cucumber Plant

by

Osting, Patricia Angela T.

Panagsagan, Jerome B.

Patacsil, Anthony John S.

Roque, Joshua B.

Saliendra, Marc Jason F.

Santos, Joshua James B.

Tabaquirao, Paolo Daniello D.

Taragua, Dennis Noel R.

Tinio, John Christian B.

Tiu, Braian M.

Vargas, Raiah Sherina L.

September 2017
 Chapter 3

Research Design

The result of this experiment is expected to be able to answer the following questions. (1)
Which guitar mode (among acoustic, electric, and metal), is the most and least effective to the
growth of the Cucumis Sativus (cucumber plant)? (2) In which aspect of the plant’s growth will
be affected by the exposure to the different guitar modes? These aspects being the biomass,
length of leaves, diameter of stem, number of leaves, color and time of germination. And finally,
(3) how will the cucumber plants’ response to the vibrations of the different guitar modes have
an affect wherein there are similarities and differences in their physical traits. When searching
for related literature, the researchers found many sources online as opposed to the seemingly low
number of related printed literature. The researchers also found that similar studies have been
conducted several years and even several decades ago; furthermore, their sources say that plants
may possibly be reacting to the vibrations caused by the music rather than the sounds (and by
extension music) themselves. This led to the formulation of related literature to spread out to the
effects of sounds and vibrations to plant growth rather than music alone. In creating the
conceptual framework, the researchers found out that plants react to physical stimuli and
mechanical forces in which sound is one example of the latter. The collection of data will be
taken from the results of the plants’ growth differences each day. The plants’ biomass will be
measured in grams while the length of leaves and diameter of stem will be measured in
centimeters. The number of leaves will simply be counted, the color of the plant will be
described and defined using a plant color palette, and finally the data for time of germination will
only be collected once. That one time being the first day the plant sprouts. As this is a mixed
study, the researchers will collect both quantitative and qualitative data. With the biomass
(grams), length of leaves (cm), diameter of stem (cm), number of leaves and time of germination
being quantitative with color being the only qualitative data to be collected. On the quantitative
side of things, the researchers will use Descriptive Statistics to describe the measured results
collected over the course of fifty (50) days. Once the experiment has finished, the researchers
will compute for the mean or the average growth of the Cucumis Sativus for each day while
looking for the mode or any data which have been repeated and the median which will be the
middle value of all of the collected data. More details are found in the later parts of this chapter
Research Locale

The researcher will be conducting the experiment in a house (backyard) of one of the
researchers. It is located in eastern Las Piñas. The experiment will be conducted in a 300-square-
meters house, and having a 50-square-meter backyard. The researcher’s backyard is large enough
to make the plant experiment effectively. The area of the experiment will be exposed to natural
sunlight and fresh air flow. The plants will be placed aligned 50cm away from each other on the
same place. So that the distribution of air flow and sunlight are equal. Therefore the experiment
will have lesser error in gathering the data. The researchers chose the location because it is near
to the university that makes a part of convenience for the researchers. Also the backyard has a
place wherein the researchers can conduct the research safe and having good quality of sunlight
and air flow which is good for the experiment.

Research Instruments

The researchers will be using the following instruments in accomplishing the experiment,
The instruments per set will be the objects to manipulate and use in the course of the experiment
and data gathering.

Cucumber is the main component or the dependent variable of the researchers because it
will be the one to be experimented on. The researchers will plant the cucumber seeds in loam
soil. The researchers chose this because it is a mixture of other types of soil-clay, silt, and sand.
Additionally, it is the most effective as it is the most recommended and used soil by farmers
because of its suitable nutrient content. What will serve as the container of the loam soil together
with the cucumber seed are the five plastic pots. This is the cheapest and lightest the researchers
can find in the local store that will bring convenience for the researchers to materialize the
setups. For the cucumber plant, the researchers will be using trellises. It is a stick that will be
stuck upright from the central part of the soil surface down in each of the setup. Since cucumber
is a vine plant, it will serve as a platform for the vine to crawl upon. This will act as a foundation
and support to the cucumber as it reaches the stage of plant germination. Water will be an
instrument as well. When it rises up to the stem then to the leaves, water is critical to the process
of plant’s food making. Thus, essential for its growth, the researchers will be needing to water
the plants regularly and equally (20ml). The headphones and audio player will be the
independent variable of the researchers’ experiment because the effect of sound waves of the
different types of music like the acoustic, electric, and metallic guitar sounds towards the plant
growth is what the researchers are experimenting for. The audio player is where the music will
be played. The headphones will be connected on it and that is how the plant will receive the
audio signals when various music were played from it. On the other hand, the headphones which
is the electronic device is the one to be used to transmit audio signals (music) to each of the
potted plant. This is to prevent affecting the other setups in the same location, which will be the
case of using speaker otherwise. It is possible since headphones emit a controlled volume just
enough for the single pot to expose with the music — that is much less if earphones are used
otherwise as well. Eventually in measuring, researchers will be using a Vernier caliper. It is a
precision instrument that measures internal and external lengths extremely accurately. Since the
researchers will be dealing with small details like the length of stem, and leaf this will be the
most appropriate measuring instrument to use for the quantitative result gathering. The basic
technique for measuring biomass is the harvest method where the researchers will place it in an
oven to remove the water and weight it. This is because the "dry weight" is a more stable
measure of biomass than the fresh weight. Researchers will be needing a microwave oven to
execute this.

Data Gathering Procedure

The investigation will be divided into four pots (three experiment variables and one control
variable). Each three experimental variables play a specific type of guitar music. They are
‘Acoustic Music’, ‘Electric Guitar Music’, and ‘Metal Music’.

One cucumber seed is taken into each four different pots. All the basic conditions that are
required for the plant to grow such as amount of water (twenty milliliters a day), air, sunlight,
loam soil, etc. will be kept similar. Three pots will be chosen as “Experimental Plant” for
acoustic guitar music, electrical guitar music and metal guitar music (marked EP-A, EP-E and
EP-M respectively) and the other remaining pot as “Control Plant” (marked CP). Every twelve
hours, the selected type of guitar music are played to their respective ‘EP’ pots via headphones
for two hours and during this moment, the remaining pot marked ‘CP’ will not be exposed to any
guitar music. In order for the four pots to be in the same location (for similar environment
exposure such as temperature, amount of sunlight, etc.), headphones will be used so each plant
will only be able to exposed with one type of music only and not mixed. Size of pots, type of
headphones, type of audio players and volume (decibel) will be kept similar. This method will
continue for fifty days on each of the four pots. Length, color and number of leaves, diameter of
stem, height of plant and number of buds and flowers are monitored and recorded every day
exactly after twenty-four hours. Time of germination will be recorded once before the general
growth of each plants and their biomasses will be recorded after the fiftieth day.

This table (Figure 1.1. Daily Plant Record) will be used to record ten days of data. At the end
of the fiftieth day, the researchers should be able to collect five sets of Daily Plant Record tables.

Days Variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Length of leaves EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP
Length of plant EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP
Diameter of stem EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP
Number of leaves EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP
Number of buds and EP-A
flowers EP-E
EP-M
CP
Color of leaves EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP
Time of germination EP-A
EP-E
EP-M
CP

Figure 1.1. Daily Plant Record

 - Length of leaves, length of plant (height), and diameter of stem will all be measured
using the SI units (cm). Ruler or in some cases, when the use of ruler are not accurate
enough for measuring, Vernier caliper will be used.
- Number of leaves and number of buds and flowers are counted by the researcher every
day.
- Time of germination only happens once in the time of growth of plant. ‘X’ is marked
once in Daily Plant Record when the seed has first begun sprouting.
- A palette (Figure 1.2. Plant Color Palette) will be used by the researcher to identify the
shades of green of the leaves are from day of germination to the fiftieth day of planting.

Figure 1.2. Plant Color Palette

Cucumber plant color palette retrieve from: https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-

photo-green-cucumbers-colour-palette-swatch-complimentary-swatches-image32053625

- Biomass of each variables will be recorded after the fiftieth day by drying the plants in
the oven to remove the water. After drying it in an oven, its weight is then measured in
grams.

Data Analysis Plan

The researcher in this study will use derivative and descriptive statistics for the data
analysis. Derivative statistics is to show the rate of change of the experiment in terms of the
criteria: the number of leaves, the color, length, diameter of stem, biomass and time of
germination in the span of 50 days. Showing the rate of change of each plant will statistically
prove how each plant differ from each other. Also, this will allow the researchers to statistically
visualize if there are any effects of music to cucumber plants. The use of descriptive statistics is
to simplify the measurements in a more manageable and clear way in a form of descriptions. It is
simply a way to describe and summarize the data that came from an experiment, a survey or a
historical record. It will also be used to show simple summaries and measures about the sample
to describe the basic features of the study. The use of mean, median and mode in analyzing data
will show the average of each criteria on each plant. So that the researchers can easily compare
each plant on the differences in its growth. The researchers will use derivative statistics after the
data has been collected altogether after the 50 days of experimentation, followed up by
descriptive statistics to average all the status of the plants.