Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

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Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Organic Vegetable Production
3. Go back to processing area. Brainstorm in small groups to design a suitable matrix to record
observations and do following activities:
5 For soil organisms, spread soil collected from quadrant in a Manila paper, count number of
organisms and add to initial collections made. The abundance of minute organisms, such
as mites, can be described quantitatively, namely: too many (e.g., numbers more than 100);
many (e.g., numbers from 50-100); or few (e.g., numbers less than 50).
5 For soil litters, spread, segregate, and weigh separately all dried or decaying grasses and
leaves, branches and twigs, dead insects and other animals, etc. The presence of mycelia
bodies or foul odor on decaying plant and animal debris should be noted also to indicate
probable presence of fungi and bacteria in soil.
5 List down all pertinent observations.
4. Present output of small groups to the big group. Conduct participatory discussion to allow
sharing of experiences among participants. Relate soil biodiversity to abundance of soil
organisms, soil organic matter content, and soil water holding capacity, soil nutrient availability,
and crop productivity.
5. Synthesize and summarize output of small groups into one big group output. Draw up
conclusions and recommendation from this exercise.
some suggested questions for processing discussion
❏ What do we mean by soil biodiversity?
❏ Did you observe differences in the kind and number of organisms and litters found in different
soil ecosystem?
❏ Do you think there will be differences in the performance (e.g., plant growth, development, and
yield) of crops to be grown in different soil ecosystem observed? Why?
❏ What factors do you think influenced the number and kind of organisms and litters found in
different soil ecosystem?
❏ What do you think is the role of soil biodiversity on abundance of soil organisms, soil organic
matter content, and soil water holding capacity, soil nutrient availability, and crop productivity?
❏ How do we maintain or enhance soil biodiversity?