USDA Fellows Classroom Lesson 2
Link to download pdf: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P9Q2MCrLfUry1UYnUU_buynS-BsxIL5yWdt5T0zDOFU/edit?usp=sharing
Soil Texture Activity
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- Carefully locate your group’s jar and place it on a stable table
- Mark the layers of sand, silt, clay with a sharpie
- With a ruler measure the height of each layer and record in lab worksheet
- Calculate the percentage of each minerals
- Determine soil texture
Best Soil Texture For Agriculture
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![](https://usdahsi.ucmerced.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-17-at-3.34.30-PM-1024x896.png)
Soil and Crops
Different kinds of soils have optimal conditions for certain crops, but other factors also come into play:
- temperature
- humidity
- rainfall
- sunlight
- winds
Rhizotron Project
- Choose a rhizotron with soil
- Use the end of a pencil to make 3 holes in the soil and plant 1 seed per hole
- Each group will be assigned a treatment
- Soil Texture
- Salinity
- Fertilizer
- Compaction
- Place rhizotron in a storage container
- Water your rhizotron thoroughly to make sure the seeds germinate
Next Time…
![](http://usdahsi.ucmerced.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-10-at-11.51.43-AM-764x1024.png)
Review the scientific method and make hypothesis for the rhizotron project
Learn about agriculture worldwide and its impact of the carbon cycle
Start collecting out observations from the rhiotron project