The Effects of Soil Compaction on Radish Growth
- Slides: 22
The Effects of Soil Compaction on Radish Growth I. E. , T. G. , D. H. , M. M. , and Janice Wing Project from STEM Earth Central
Plant Growth Basics Ø Required conditions Water l Nutrients l Soil medium l Sunlight l Temperature l Ø Role of pore space in soil
Compaction Ø Modeling human impact on land Vehicles on land l Hiking trails l Ø Impact on plant growth
Experiment Hypothesis “Highly compacted soil will hinder plant germination and slow early growth. ”
Our Experiment Ø 4 soil types Ø 3 degrees of soil compaction Ø Controlled environmental conditions Water l Sunlight l Soil volume l Number of seeds l Depth and spacing of seeds l
Experiment Methods Watering Heavy Compaction “Tap-Down” Compaction
Watering
Levels of Compaction Note Standing Water
Measurements Ø Percent germination Ø Growth rate (height)
Germination
Percent Germination by Date
Average Seeding Growth Rate
Radish Growth
Considerations Ø Standing water Ø Original soil moisture Ø Soil particle size and pore size l Different soil types
Conclusions Ø Soil compaction reduces percent germination Ø Heavy compaction reduces growth rate
Future Questions Ø Is limited growth due to… Small pore size? l Limited water percolation? l Increased pressure? l Anoxia? l
New Skills Learned Ø Manipulating photographs in Adobe Photoshop Elements l l l Filter Artistic Paint Daubs Image Transform Distort Composited Layers (to hide leaves) Ø Animated 3 images in Power. Point Result = Growing Radish Ø Hyperlink
The Effects of Soil Compaction on Radish Growth Grows on Mouse Click. Third picture appears on delay. Hyperlink I. E. , T. G. , D. H. , M. M. , and Janice Wing Project from STEM Earth Central
New Skills Learned Ø Picture as background Ø Composited Layers Result = Original background No price tag
Our Experiment Ø 4 soil types Distracting numbers in the background GONE! Ø 3 degrees of soil compaction Ø Controlled environmental conditions Water l Sunlight l Soil volume l Number of seeds l Depth and spacing of seeds l
New Skills Learned Ø Use of slide master Result = Easier slide manipulation Greater consistency Custom Radish Ø Insert movie Result seen later…
The End Let’s Celebrate!