You Are Working for a Company That Produces Fertilizers

You are working for a company that produces fertilizers. They want you to create a new "green" fertilizer. You ask the question, "Will the 'green' fertilizer produce a large enough yield of corn to be marketable?" You hypothesize that the "green" fertilizer will not be as effective as a synthetic fertilizer. You design an experiment to control the brand and amount of seeds planted, the sunlight, soil type, temperature, and amount of water applied. You set up two fields: one that will use the "green" fertilizer and one that will use the synthetic fertilizer. At the end of the study the data show that the field with the "green" fertilizer produced a greater yield of corn. Which of the following would you chose for the conclusion of your study?

A) The amount of sunlight affected the plant growth.
B) The study needs to be repeated since there were not enough controls.
C) The green fertilizer was more effective due to the amount of nitrogen in it.
D) The synthetic fertilizer was more effective and should continue to be marketed.
E) The hypothesis was falsified and the evidence supports green fertilizers can be effective.