My Research Project and Junior Internship Journey

Our research project would officially begin on Week 6 of the program- however, the few weeks beforehand were also mostly spent on the project, deciding what we were going to study and how to achieve that goal. Inspired by a previous experiment conducted by our facilitator, we decided to study the effects of different concentrations and types of composts on crops, expanding it to test multiple mixtures. We selected radishes for this experiment, as they are grown on the farm, have a short growing time, and are easy to maintain. Then we had to use our knowledge of the scientific process to determine what should be measured, which would be the height of the radish’s tallest leaf, the length of its roots, and its weight both with and without its roots. We coordinated with the staff on the farm to acquire the necessary seeds, soil and compost, as well as a place to grow them, putting a wide variety of skills to the test beyond just scientific knowledge.

While our radishes were growing, we also used our knowledge of soil testing to experiment on the control soils for the research project, which were native Algarvian soil (AD) and unamended soil from the farm’s market garden (MG). We tested the pH, humidity, and percentage of organic matter- later on, we would also test the pH of all of the mixtures as well, which would allow us to link the results of the radish measurements with variables in the soil. The results are in the following charts:

We used the market garden soil with six different compost mixtures to test the impact of compost on radish growth. Two of these mixtures involved market garden soil mixed with a thermophilic compost called Nutriverde, an organic compost purchased from Algar and currently used on the farm- one contained 20% compost and the other contained 40%. Two mixtures used the same concentrations, but with worm casting compost, which is produced on the farm. Another mixture involved combining both composts and the market garden soil in the same pot, and the final combination consisted of soil with a layer of the thermophilic compost on top. The mixtures and results are as follows:

• • • WC20: 80% market garden soil, 20% worm castings
    • WC40: 60% market garden soil, 40% worm castings
    • AS20: 80% market garden soil, 20% Nutriverde
    • AS40: 60% market garden soil, Nutriverde
    • WAC: 80% market garden soil, 10% worm castings, 10% Nutriverde
    • MAT: 100% market garden soil with a layer of Nutriverde on top

The research project was not the only thing we were conducting during the second half of the junior internship. During Week 9, we conducted a biodiversity test in the control quadrat located at the Vale da Lama farm. The process involved counting the number of unique species of animals and plants within that 10 square meter space, using an phone app called iNaturalist to identify species. Over all, we counted 11 species, ranging from sunburst lichen to buttercups to vibrant psilothrix insects. We also listened for bird calls, using the Merlin app our phones to determine what species of birds were near our quadrat, and catalogued 7 different species- the most observed was the house sparrow. Though not a part of our research project, it was an interesting learning experience and allowed us to test our observational skills.

After 6 weeks of cataloguing the height growth of the radishes, we removed them from their pots and conducted the final measurements of the project- weight, root length, and the length of their leaves. We also made notes of the differences in taste between the radishes grown in different soil mixtures. With all of the data collected, we began completing our report of the research project.

Finally, we compiled an account of the research process and results into a short 15-minute presentation and shared the culmination of our work with the owner, interns, and staff of  Quinta Vale da Lama, as well as two visitors from Ecosystem Restoration Communities. After our successful presentation, we were presented with our official certificates of completion, bringing the junior internship to a close.

The third and final blog post will contain more detailed information about our findings and conclusions during the research project.