Elaborate: Maximizing Soil Nutrient Availability

BIG Idea 3: As the demand for global food supply increases maximizing nutrient availability in soils becomes even more critical.
Essential Question: How can we optimize plant health and food supply?

Part A. Chemistry in Plant Nutrition and Growth

Time Required: 45 minutes to summarize material and complete discussion.

1. Begin the lesson by reviewing the questions and answers in this document with students. Chemistry in Plant Nutrition and Growth
2. Next, show and discuss Figure 4-9 and Table 4-2 from Know Soil Know Life book. Emphasize the relationship between plant growth and available nutrient supply. Note the different zones, or ranges, of nutrient supply needed for optimal plant growth.
3. Following the discussion, have students download the iphone/ipad app of plant images, (linked below) and use the image library to view common symptoms of plant nutrient deficiencies.

   Plant Image Library
   Nutrient Deficiency Photos iphone/ipad app
   

Part B. Humanity against Hunger

Complete Lesson 4: Plant Nutrient Deficiencies, from the Nourishing the Planet materials (linked above). This lesson involves students reading several case studies of farmers and role-playing a plant nutrient "doctors" helping to solve nutrient deficiency issues. The lesson can be done either online or as a paper and pencil activity.
Educators may decide to use images from the image library (linked above) to customize the lesson or to include other crops.
Time required: Several class periods

Part C. Investigating Calcium Deficiency - lab exercise

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Collecting a soil sample for lab testing.

Complete the lab activity Investigating the Impact of Calcium Deficiency on plants. The lab activity is described in Lesson 4: Plant Nutrient Deficiencies - Extension activity.
Time required: Several class periods
Set up in one class period - then return to observe the plant in a week. The lesson includes good extensions and opportunities for independent activities.

Part D. Fertilizers and the Environment

Step 1. Begin this portion of the lesson by reading and reviewing the Blog article: Why do Farmers use Fertilizer? from the Soils Matter Blog.
After reading, ask students the following suggested questions:

1. How do plants respond to a lack of nutrients?
2. What are sources of fertilizer?
3. How do farmers know how much fertilizer to add?
4. How do soil nutrients improve the quality of crops that we consume?

Step 2. Next, complete Lesson 5: Fertilizers and the Environment from Nourishing the Planet.
Begin with a review of Activities 1 and 2: The Big Apple and Using Land Wisely. (Note: both topics were covered in the first Module of this Educator's Guide.)
Step 3. Complete Activity 3: Fertilizers and the Future, in which students identify the advantages and disadvantages of using different types of fertilizers, and consider ways to minimize nutrient pollution.

Optional Extension

Show the video the Symphony of the Soil.
(Educator Note: the trailer tot his video was shown in Module 1. The segment from 18-24 minutes was suggested for viewing in Module 3)