PROPOSED LESSON
PLAN/NOTE FOR THE FIFTH WEEK ENDING 14th OCTOBER, 2022
2022/2023 ACADEMIC
SESSION
SUBJECT: AGRIC SCIENCE
TOPIC: SOIL FERTILITY
AND MANAGEMENT
CLASS: GRADE 8
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 22
AVERAGE AGE: 11+ YEARS
GENDER: MIXED
PERIOD: 2nd
AND 5th PERIOD ON MONDAY AND FRIDAY RESPECTIVELY
TIME: 80 MINUTES
DURATION: 40 MINUTES
DATE: 10/10/2022
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: By
the end of the lesson the students should be able to;
1.
explain soil fertility;
2.
discuss ways of maintaining soil fertility (crop rotation) bush fallowing And
cover cropping.
ENTRY BEHAVIOUR/
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: Students are familiar with loamy soil
the best soil for planting.
INSTRUCTIONAL
METHODS/TECHNIC: Questions, simulation, visual.
INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS: Plant samples, pictures showing fertile
soil.
INTRODUCTION: Questions posed
to the students include
Question 1: What
is soil fertility?
STEP 1:SOIL FERTILITY
Soil
fertility refers the ability of the soil to supply all the essential plant
nutrients in adequate amounts as required by the crops.
A
soil is said to be fertile if it has all the required micro-organisms and plant
nutrients and is free of toxic materials.
SOIL NUTRIENTS
Plant needs soil for growth in order to
produce seeds and fruits which are eaten by animals and man. Some plants like
cassava and yam develop tubers in the soil. These tubers are also harvested for
food. The plant is able to do this because the soil provides it with all the
nutrients and water it requires for the job. The soil water contains most of
the nutrients that are dissolved in it. Plant roots can extract the nutrients
and use them to build up tubers, fruits and various seeds.
Differences between
Macro and Micro Nutrients
Macronutrients
are those nutrients required by plant in large quantities e.g. Nitrogen (N),
Potassium (K), Phosphorus (P), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulphur (S),
while Micro Nutrients are those nutrients required by plant in smaller
quantities e.g. Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B)
and Molybdenum (Mo).
FACTORS WHICH AFFECT
THE AVAILABILITY OF NUTRIENTS TO PLANTS IN THE SOIL
1.
If a soil is shallow, that is, if the top and the subsoils are just a few
centimeters deep before solid rock is reached, plant roots cannot have enough
space to look or explore for nutrients and therefore nutrient supply by the
soil will be inadequate.
2.
When the soil is clayey, it allows water to pass through it slowly, so that
most parts of the soil contain too much water. Under this condition, the roots
cannot grow properly and therefore cannot extract adequate amounts of
nutrients.
3.
When the soil is sandy and allows water to move through it rapidly. The roots
are starved of water, they do not grow properly and cannot extract adequate
amounts of nutrients.
4.
When a soil undergoes changes, leaching of nutrients is usually part of the
changes. The soil may be leached that it becomes acidic, a good number of
plants cannot grow properly because they cannot extract nutrients efficiently
from the soil.
SOIL FERTILITY
MANAGEMENT
(a) Crop Rotation:
The practice of crop rotation involves growing a sequence of crops such that
there is a compensation effect on soil nutrients, air, water, structure and
weed infestation. A crop which takes a lot of nutrients may be followed by
another which does not require the same type of nutrients in large quantities.
(b) Bush Fallow and
Cover Crops: The soil is allowed to revert into bush
after the last harvest. The fallow can last for a period of three to five
years. At this point, the soil is at rest and the plant extract nutrients from
the soil but these are regularly returned to the soil when some plants die and
rot away or when their roots, stems or leaves die and are converted to humus.
EVALUATION:
1.
explain soil fertility.
2.
discuss ways of maintaining soil fertility.
SUMMARY:
1.
Soil fertility refers the ability of the soil to supply all the essential plant
nutrients in adequate amounts as required by the crops.
2.
Soil fertility can be maintained in two basic ways: Addition of Organic Fertilizer, Addition of inorganic Fertilizers.
ASSIGNMENT:
1.
Describe how you would prepare compost. How is it incorporated into the soil?
How similar or different is it from green manure?
2.
Fertilizers are chemical compounds. They are grouped as simple or compound
fertilizers. Show how the groups justify what each fertilizer contains as
nutrients.
3.
Describe how fertilizers are applied to crops.
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