Many farmers and gardeners compost their plant and animal waste. The living material naturally decays in compost bins, forming a dirt-like substance that’s rich in nutrients. The next season, farmers use this substance as a natural fertilizer for their crops. A biology student has grown tomato plants for several years. Until now, he used an artificial fertilizer formulated for tomato plants. This fertilizer caused his plants to grow faster and taller than they grew in unfertilized soil. The student wants to know whether using natural compost will cause his tomato plants to grow faster and taller than his artificial fertilizer. Answer the following questions to plan an investigation using the steps of the scientific method and help the student find the answer to his question. Part A What are the student’s observations and inferences before he starts his investigation?
Answers
The present organic movement covers the fields of agriculture, nutrition, and health—the common factor linking them being food. The followers of the organic movement have hewed closely to the line of thinking advanced by Howard. Any appreciable deviations from the agricultural methods practiced prior to the 20th century are likely to be condemned. Chemical fertilizers must not be used as they are claimed to poison the soil, the plants, the livestock, and eventually the health of man who consumes the plant and meat products. Food grown by nature's methods on soils made fertile by compost is considered nutritious and conducive to health if eaten while fresh; in contrast, processed food is deficient, especially in minerals, vitamins, and unknown materials that are essential for good health. Great emphasis is placed on the role of the soil and the need to maintain fertility, but fertility must be maintained strictly by the return of all wastes, chiefly compost, and by the use of mixed cropping systems, much as practiced in the Far East for centuries. The most condemned form of agriculture is monoculture using chemical fertilizers and various kinds of chemical spray materials for the control of insects, diseases, and weeds.