Since 1995, soil-ecological field courses across climatic zones in West Siberia have been organized by scientists from Russia and Germany to meet growing demands for better land use practices. They are focused on virgin landscapes and soils undisturbed by anthropogenic influences to facilitate the learning processes by excluding concealing changes…

The environmental issues surrounding agrochemical products facing people today include serious health and ecological problems. Scientific literacy is necessary for students to understand scientific knowledge and get ready for the future world. Therefore, this action research aims to promote scientific literacy, in the area of plant growth by using…

The topic of invasive earthworms is a timely concern that goes against many preconceived notions regarding the positive benefits of all worms. In the cold-temperate forests of North America invasive worms are threatening forest ecosystems, due to the changes they create in the soil, including decreases in C:N ratios and leaf litter, disruption of…

Opportunities for farmers to participate in greenhouse gas (GHG) credit markets require that growers, students, extension educators, offset aggregators, and other stakeholders understand the impact of agricultural practices on GHG emissions. The Farming Systems Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator, a web-based tool linked to the SOCRATES soil…

Three-dimensional visualization is helpful in understanding soils, and three dimensional (3-D) tools are gaining popularity in teaching earth sciences. Those tools are still somewhat underused in soil science, yet soil properties such as texture, color, and organic carbon content vary both vertically and horizontally across the landscape. These…

Enrollment by students in degree programs other than traditional horticulture, agronomy, and soil science has increased in basic plant and soil science courses. In order to broaden the appeal of these courses to students from majors other than agriculture, we developed a hands-on laboratory exercise relating the basic concepts of a soil energy…

This teacher's guide is designed for use in a vocational horticulture course designed to prepare students for jobs as nursery workers. Addressed in the individual units of the guide are the following topics: the nursery industry; soils; plant growth; plant nutrition; plant propagation methods; nursery field practices; pest control; techniques for…

This competency-based curriculum unit on soils and fertilizers is one of four developed for classroom use in teaching the turf and lawn services area of horticulture. The four sections are each divided into teaching content (in a question-and-answer format) and student skills that outline taking soil samples, testing samples, preparing soil for…

ONE OF A SERIES DESIGNED TO PREPARE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR HORTICULTURE SERVICE OCCUPATIONS, THIS MODULE HAS AS ITS MAJOR OBJECTIVE TO DEVELOP THE APPRECIATIONS, UNDERSTANDINGS, AND ABILITIES NEEDED TO USE PLANT GROWING MEDIA IN GROWING HORTICULTURAL PLANTS. IT WAS DEVELOPED BY A NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON THE BASIS OF DATA FROM STATE STUDIES.…

A horticultural core curriculum and draft copies of three horticultural cluster curricula are provided. Materials related to the curriculum development project appear first. The core curriculum is designed to provide broad initial instruction in horticulture for students in the first year of a secondary-level vocational horticulture program. The…

This curriculum guide consists of 14 units for use in teaching a high school level horticulture course. Covered in the individual units are the following topics: opportunities in horticultural occupations; plant classification and identification; structures and equipment used in producing greenhouse, ornamental, and nursery plants; greenhouse…

This second volume of a two-volume curriculum guide contains 11 problem areas selected for study to be included in a core curriculum for 11th grade or third-year students enrolled in a metropolitan agricultural program. The 11 problem areas are divided into four units: Soil Science and Conservation of Natural Resources (Understanding Soils,…

This curriculum guide provides the plant science components of the vocational agriculture curriculum for Regional Vocational Agriculture Centers. The curriculum is divided into exploratory units for students in the 9th and 10th grades and specialized units for students in grades 11 and 12. The five exploratory units are: agricultural pest control;…

This second volume of a 2-volume curriculum guide contains 12 problem areas selected as suggested areas of study to be included in a core curriculum for 10th-grade or second-year students enrolled in a metropolitan agriculture program. The 12 problem areas are divided into 5 units: Growing and Managing Horticultural Crops (4 problem areas),…

This document provides an introduction to and instructions for the use of AGDEX, a comprehensive numeric filing system to classify and organize a wide variety of agricultural publications. The index is subdivided and color coded according to the following categories: (1) field crops; (2) horticulture; (3) forestry; (4) animal science; (5) soils;…