An agricultural biologist is investigating the effect of a new organic liquid bio-stimulant on the early root development of two distinct varieties of spring barley: 'Laureate' (a malting variety) and 'Krypton' (a feed variety).
The biologist plans to conduct a controlled laboratory experiment. They intend to germinate 120 seeds of each variety in individual petri dishes lined with filter paper. Each dish will be treated with a specific daily dosage of 2 ml of a 5% concentration of the bio-stimulant solution. The seeds will be kept in an incubator at a constant temperature of 20°C with 16 hours of simulated daylight per day. After 10 days, the biologist will use digital imaging software to measure the total root surface area (mm2\text{mm}^2mm2) of each seedling to evaluate growth performance.
Explain how a pilot study could be carried out to help this biologist improve their planned investigation.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
