The phytotoxicity of metals is established as a function of soil content; however, their potential negative effect is dependent on the type of soil and fundamentally on the presence of colloids in the soil, mainly of the organic type. For this reason, an experiment on the influence of Zn on the germination of Lepidium sativum L. in two acid soils…

Millions of ha of sodic soils exist around the world and the movement of water through these soils is most directly dictated by the concentration of Na and overall electrical conductivity of the soil, and minerology of the clay. Helping farmers, land managers, crop advisors, and students better understand why water moves or does not move in these…

As our population continues to grow, the demand of a more efficient agriculture system heightens. We work to produce the highest yield possible to cover demands. Are we compromising our water quality for mass food production? In past years, the West Coast growers had been facing increasing struggles to farm with their allotted water often turning…

Winogradsky columns were invented by Sergei Winogradsky in the 1880s and have commonly been used as a microbiology classroom learning tool in K-12 and collegiate education. However, they can be challenging to examine with microscopy. We scaled down Winogradsky columns into nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tubes and replaced the natural sediment…

Agriculture in much of Uganda is struggling, especially in Soroti District. Many of the issues are linked to the poor soils that are present in this region. Farmers in Soroti District will need to adopt various soil conservation techniques and practices to improve their soils over time and increase production.

Experimentation is a contributing factor to the interest and meaningful learning of Science. In Geology and Earth Science, the effects of soil textures, settlements, and water-holding capacity are parameters for landslides in Barotac Viejo and other flooded areas. Landslides are triggered during heavy rainstorms, causing severe property damage and…

Enrollment in soil science courses at land grant universities in the United States has been stagnant or declining for the last 20 years and this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a newly developed course in drinking water and human health (DWHH) that was designed to widen soil science…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, preexisting soil science laboratories were redesigned for self-guided learning (SGL). The SGL laboratories occurred on-campus during the fall 2020 semester in two introductory soil science courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Students carried out the…

Undergraduate institutions serve as stepping stones to students' careers. Teaching and learning in science classrooms require quality and integrated teaching-research learning experiences that prepare students to advance their careers. Using publicly available data sets and open-access data analyses software can be impactful for engaging students…

Programs that emphasize the important, multifaceted roles that soils play as the interfaces between humanity and the earth are needed to attract new students from diverse backgrounds. The Basic and Environmental Soil Science Training Research Experience for Undergraduates (BESST REU) site aims to provide undergraduates from a variety of science,…

A dynamic and diverse workforce of agricultural professionals and scientists is needed to develop sustainable and innovative solutions for the challenges of food production for a growing population under the threat of climate extremes. One path to developing workforce talent is through summer research and extension experiences. The Applied Plant…

Despite the growing importance of agricultural microbiology at the applied, productive and ecological levels, undergraduate degrees in Agronomy generally do not feature much microbiological experimentation. To address this deficiency, we have designed an experimental programme that evaluates the potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria…

Student-student interactions are influential parts of field experiences. While competitive judging events are a fun way to engage students in field-based learning, the focus on competition leads to an atmosphere that discourages collaboration between students. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cognitive and affective learning…

We implemented research-based learning (RBL) as an alternative to traditional frontal classroom lectures and laboratory sessions to impart knowledge on the emerging topic of microplastics in soil to students. The RBL module aimed at studying how microplastics (MPs) affect soil processes. We designed low-cost, small-scale and simple experiments for…

Soil knowledge is essential to address modern global challenges. Soil science education began with soil survey and agricultural activities, with a focus on the traditional subdisciplines of soil chemistry, soil physics, pedology, soil mineralogy, and soil biology. Soil education has evolved to address the needs of an increasing variety of fields…