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The effect of soil type and characteristics on alfalfa plant growth

Country:Oman
Student(s):1- Bayan Abdullah Alfarsi 2- Alanood Mohammed Alfarsi
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):hedaya alfarsy
Contributors:Agricultural Wealth Department in Yanqul
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Earth As a System, pH, Salinity, Soil Characterization, Soil pH
Presentation Poster: View Document
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:03/02/2025
My research aims to know the type of soil suitable for growing alfalfa plants using GLOBE protocols and following the scientific method in finding appropriate solutions to environmental problems by answering the following questions: 1- What is the effect of soil characteristics (acidity and salinity) on the growth of alfalfa plants? 2- What type of soil is suitable for growing alfalfa? To answer this question, I decided to study the properties of the soil in two farms, one of which had alfalfa growing in a healthy way and the other where it had unhealthy growth. I applied the soil protocol to study the properties of each sample in terms of acidity, salinity, color, consistency, texture, amount of rocks, soil, and carbonates, and the water protocol to study the properties of the water source used to irrigate the soil in terms of salinity, acidity, and conductivity, and the land cover protocol to compare plant growth in the two farms The results I obtained indicated that plant growth is affected by the characteristics of the soil, as the alfalfa plant in the farm (1) had healthy growth, as it had a longer stem and more leaves, while in the farm (2) its growth was unhealthy due to the difference in acidity and salinity of the soil in the two farms, as well as the type of soil, and since the alfalfa plant needs low alkaline soil so that it can absorb nutrients well from the soil, and it also grows best in sandy and clay soil. Based on the results, the researcher recommends that the farmers need to know the characteristics of the soil before planting any crop, in order to modify its properties in proportion to the appropriate conditions for the growth of the crop to obtain abundant and good production.



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