Questions and Comments about Agriculture

1) Thoughts on: genetically modified foods and genetically modified organisms (GMOs); Monsanto.

2) Pesticides vs. organic; what exactly do pesticides do to our food?

3) Soil nutrients and fertility..best places to grow?

4) Thoughts on biofuel and if it's possible?

5) What advances have we made in agriculture?

Soil Lab Analysis

ABSTRACT:

The soil lab is important in finding the nutrients, pH, and layers of the soil. The data below describes the soil found in Pacific Beach. These results are significant because we want to know the soils in different areas of San Diego.

INTRODUCTION:

Objectives: In this lab, you will investigate and analyze the differing layers of soil, determine the pH level of your soil, and determine the primary soil nutrients of your sample soil.

Procedure:

Texture: 1) collect approximately 275mL of soil from your neighborhood 2) add your soil sample to a jar, add water about 1cm below jar lid, shake well, and wait for layers to separate 3) measure and record the separated layers appropriately: sand, silt, and clay

pH: 1) take your soil sample from the drying bin and add 2 pH dissolvable tablets; wait for color change and record your pH level

Nutrients: 1) determine the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous contents of your soil sample

Expected Results: you should expect your soils pH to be slightly acidic  because when raindrops fall through the troposphere and become acidic (carbonic acid)

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS:

CLAY	1mm
SILT	1cm
SAND	1.5cm

NITROGEN	L
PHOSPHOROUS	L/M
POTASSIUM	H

REFLECTION/CONCLUSION:

In this lab, we learned the different nutrients found in soil from differing neighborhoods in San Diego. I learned the different layers of the soil, and how each layer has a different weight. I learned how to measure the different soil nutrients and what makes a “good soil”. Ways to improve the lab would be possibly more test tubes and jars for the groups.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1)   The 3 different soil layers are sand, silt, and clay. Sand has the greatest weight and largest surface area; clay has the least weight and sits on top of the sand and silt, and is a very thin layer.

2)   Refer to soil triangle

3)   Soil type clay has the greatest water retention ability; soil type sand has the greatest water percolation rate.

4)   The humus is important to soil fertility because it is a top layer to the soil, somewhat like a protection barrier.

5)   The pH level is important because soil that is too acidic will not be very fertile for plant vegetation.

6)   Natural sources of: 1) nitrogen: feather meal, soybean meal, grass hay, various types of manure, etc. 2) potassium: salts and minerals 3) phosphorous: grains, nuts, crab shells, banana peels

7)   Plants need lots of nutrients for prosperous growth of the plant(s)

8)   The nitrogen cycle, where plants uptake nitrogen through their roots, is essential. The hairs on the plants roots are able to absorb the nitrogen, which is crucial to the chlorophyll when they are applying photosynthesis. The plant converts it into a usable organic molecule essential for food production.

9)   Possible errors? Measuring of the soil.. Dropping the correct amount when testing for nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous

10)                   The soil fertility found in pacific beach is pretty standard when compared to the results of my peers

11)                   My soil results best support vegetation for a tree or plants. Not especially growing fruits and vegetables though

Responses to Questions

1) After Thanksgiving break you return to the HTHMA garden to find that your crops have not been watered in over two weeks. Most of your plants are dead and those that are alive are barely hanging on.  In relation to the process of photosynthesis, describe what has happened to your plants. 

Our plants will not be recieving water over Thanksgiving break, thus breaking the necesary formula for photosynthesis to occur: H2O + CO2 ----in the presence of light----> O2 + glucose. Our plants then had to start breaking down nutrients in the chlorophyll and the roots in order to survive

2) Upon microscopic inspection of the underside of your plant’s leaves, you notice that in an attempt to conserve water the stomata (aka stomates) are closed. Explain in detail how this impacts the light independent reactions of photosynthesis.

If the stomata are closed, then the plant has haulted the process of photosynthesis and is no longer uptaking CO2. The calvin cycle has been haulted at this point in photosynthesis.

SEED BANK

With recent global warming and climactic change, it is scientifically predicted that temperatures will dramatically increase within the next few decades. Seed banks have been attempted, but failed due to temperature inaccuracy or human error. Recently, a new seed bank was created; “The Norwegian government paid to build the vault in a mountainside near Longyearbyen, in the remote Svalbard islands between Norway and the North Pole. Building began last year” (CNN). Some of the other seed banks were not successful because they did not keep the seeds at a constant temperature; but in the Svalbard Seed Bank, the seeds will be kept at a constant freezing temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, and the seeds will be able to last up to a thousand years! (Reuters).

“A third of the planet's plants are categorized as threatened with extinction, which could have dramatic effects on human life, trade and the environment” (Reuters); it is critical to have a mass storage of all seeds in case of a catastrophic disaster. The vault is built 130 meters inside a frozen mountain (427 feet) and is able to withstand a variety of threats such as “ war, natural disasters, lack of funding or simply poor agricultural management” (CNN).

With the current economic situation that our generation is faced with, the Svaldbard Seed Bank is a good location in case of insufficient funding. “Each seed costs about 2,000 pounds to collect and store” (Reuters); the Seed Bank contains approximately 400,000 seeds, and is able to hold an estimated “4.5 million distinct samples of seeds—encompassing almost every variety of most important food crops in the world” (CNN).

With the recent terrorist attack on 9/11, and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis in Haiti, or a major earthquake, the vault in Norway is a global imperative to keeping our earth’s seeds safe. An interesting fact about the Svalbard Seed Bank is that no one person has all the codes for the entrance of the Global Vault (NYT). The Global Seed Vault is the most high tech and secure seed bank we’ve seen yet and is our best bet for human survival in case of a disaster.

Garden Plot

Fingerling carrots: When planting your carrots, make sure the soil is in good condition and fine, not too wet! Space your carrots about 20 to 30 centimetres apart and about a centimetre or so deep; once sown, top the soil off with some sand. Try to keep carrots weed-free for best results.
Sparkler Radishes: Sparkler radishes are very small when they mature. Sparkler radishes grow well in moist soil; deeper containers such as pots seem to work very well. Space the sparkler radishes about 2 inches apart.
California late white garlic: Plant your california late white garlic about an inch or so deep and about 4 inches apart. Make sure your soil is fertile and well drained!!