This activity provides opportunities for students to explore how scientific investigations can be used to provide data for decision making.
Students develop skills in the use of salinity-monitoring equipment.
The activity allows students to determine, through experimentation, the effect of salinity in irrigation water on the productivity of common agricultural crops, and to calculate the soil salinity threshhold levels for these crops. This activity is designed to follow on from the activity 'The effects of soil salination', and is aimed at higher-level students. A framework of questions could be provided to assist students in structuring their experiments. The Queensland School Curriculum Council provides other sample planning and reporting sheets in the science Sourcebook materials. Ensure that students label all specimens and that records of germination and growth rates are taken at regular intervals.