Soil Science

Objectives: Understand that soil is composed of inorganic and organic solid material, water, and air.·Investigate the properties of the inorganic solid components of soil: sand, silt, and clay. Recognize that varying proportions of sand, silt, and clay in a soil impact the soil’s ability to hold and transmit water. Experimentally determine the soil texture of a local soil sample. Determine the chemical composition of a local soil sample for pH, nitrate, phosphorus, and potassium levels. Analyze a given soil’s ability to support crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, and oats. Provide recommendations for amending a given soil to support the needs of various crop plants.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/urban_agriculture/1002/thumbnail.jp

Row Spacing Models

Objectives: Identify multiple row spacing models used by soybean farmers and determine how these planting arrangements impact crop yield. Explore how row spacing influences the amount of access that a plant has to the natural resources it needs to grow. Recommend a row spacing model that considers overall yield, economic efficiency, and potential environmental threats for a hypothetical farmer.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/urban_agriculture/1001/thumbnail.jp

Biological Variation

Objectives: Identify different phenotypes of corn (maize) kernels. Use ratios and sampling to determine which of two different ears of corn is most likely to have produced a given sample of kernels. Use Punnett Squares to determine the genotypes of the “parents” that produced the different kernel samples. Compare and contrast traditional selective breeding techniques with genetically engineering a desired trait in corn. Model the regulation of gene expression in a hypothetical cell. Discuss the potential role that epigentic variation may play in improving corn crops of the future.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/urban_agriculture/1000/thumbnail.jp

Water Management

Objectives: Develop a technique to measure the porosity of soil. Explain how a high water table can reduce crop yields. Design and test a drainage tiling system.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/urban_agriculture/1003/thumbnail.jp