Answer:
B. Conduct the experiment.
Explanation:
The scientific method is a series of steps that researchers follow when they want to answer a specific question (hypothesis). This method consists of observation, question, experimentation, analysis, and generating a conclusion.
In this case, the researcher already came up with a question, which could potentially be: Does X fertilizer affect the growth of plants?
He formulated a hypothesis, for example: If X fertilizer is given to X plant species it will grow faster.
The next step is to test the hypothesis by performing a series of experiments. By applying fertilizer to half the plants and collecting data, the researcher is conducting the experiment that will be able to determine whether the results agree with his/her hypothesis.
Based on these results, the researcher will be able to form a conclusion.