The Plan
Due to my getting back to Toledo at around 5 o'clock yesterday, I’ve decided that I won’t go into school until around midday so as to allow myself some time to recoup. When I do get to school, however, I plan to finish up the “Biological Activity” portion of the humus-clay complex article (like I said in the previous blog), as well as read up on nodosité, direct seeding, and strip-till. Additionally, I plan to confirm with Pascal what humification is because I noticed that the definition I have is the same as what I have for the humus clay complex.
What I Learned
I’m ending the day feeling very accomplished for I did exactly what I set out to do; I researched the “Biological Activity” portion of the humus-clay complex, notosité, direct seeding, strip-till, and humification. In reading the the biological portion of the humus-clay complex I found that a majority of the information was stuff I already learned, though, there was one bit of information about globulins that did prove as useful for while I was in France, Pascal tried to explain the concept to me though I never fully understood it. Upon reading this article, however, it became clear that globulins are a glue-like substance made from organisms from the clay, ions, and humus. With regards to my research on nodosité, I learned that in English they are called root nodules and are the result of nitrogen-fixing bacteria infesting certain plants, mainly Fabales, Fagales, Cucurbitables and Rosales. These bacteria, after infecting their hosts, form a symbiotic relationship with the plant exchanging oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. On top of that I also learned that strip-till is essentially the middle ground of no-till and conventional till where only the rows in which plants will grow will are tilled and that direct seeding is most simply the sowing of seeds directly into undisturbed soil. Finally, to wrap it all up, I learned that humification is the making of the humus clay complex. Apart from researching though I also met up with Ms. Fleming about what I plan on doing for my presentation on Thursday. In our brief meeting together, we agreed upon the idea of making a trifold board or poster with the main focus being on the idea of agroecology/working with nature in agriculture.
Reflection
In all, today was relaxed and simple, and, provided my day yesterday, was exactly what I needed. In hopes of getting back into the swing of things, I plan on going into school tomorrow at the normal time, however, in doing this I feel my productivity may not be at its best seeing as I will still be recovering from the change in time zones. If I do find myself slipping in focus I plan on doing activities that I know to be energizing such as taking frequent, short breaks, drinking water, walking around, or even just switching what I'm doing.