PORTUGAL

Measurement of Soil Pollution and Test Kits with STEAM Applications C 3rd LTTA was held on the Madeira Island of Portugal, hosted by EB1/PE das Figueirinhas, with the participation of all partners.

Project Programme;

1. – Welcoming ceremony at EB1/PE das Figueirinhas,

– The song which was composed by Professor Sérgio Ribeiro within the scope of the project was sung by 4th grade students,

– Paired workshops were held, the first one performed by Dr. Cláudia Barreto focusing on soil production and animal husbandry.

The second workshop focused on measurement of soil parameters/properties through STEAM.

It was applications and it was made by Dr. Livio Caruso, but its designed by Dr. Alessia Tricomi, the Sicilian Center for Nuclear Physics and the Structure of Matter (CSFNSM).

-During the mobility, teacher Vanda Franco also demonstrated the Soil Moisture experiment.The following materials were used to determine the soil moisture of plants.

• 1 micro:bit with battery pack and batteries

• 2 long nails or silver

• 2 alligator clips

Connecting method of soil moisture sensor:

• Connect a nail with an alligator clip to the 3V pin and sink it into the ground.

Connect the other nail with the alligator clip to pin P0 and insert it into the ground. The soil itself has some electrical resistance depending on the amount of water and the nutrients in it act as a variable resistor in the electronic circuit. Water is not a conductor, but its nutritional content is. The combination of water and soil nutrients makes the soil better and provides some conductivity. That is, the more water there is with nutrients, the less soil there is. To run this experiment, go to Código (microbit.org) and follow the instructions.

2- Coordinators meeting, project participants, afterwards the ISOPlexis at Sustainability Center at the University of Madeira were in the Agriculture and Food Technology service.

This service is a research unit that develops activities in the fields of Agriculture.Sustainability, Agri-Food and Food Technology focuses on a wide range of agricultural diversity, genetic resources, local varieties, food technology and food products were studied.

Information was given about the Vercochar project co-financed by Interreg,-MAC 2014-2020 program, which aims to implement improvement-oriented mitigation actions,

-Response of populations and ecosystems to the effects of climate change,

-Information was given on the renewal of degraded lands affected by erosion, drought, runoff or desertification.

During the visit, a group of researchers, Cristina Oliveira, Sofia Valente and Gregório Freitas, introduced the experimental area and laboratory,

Here, among other contents, three techniques for making money from land are explained with applications, Mulching or filling, Biochar application in Soil and Green Manure.

4-Land and Plant Analysis Center of the Regional Directorate of Agriculture was visited, Visit by directed Dr. José Brito: He exemplified all the operations carried out since the collection of the soil sample, “Soil samples collected in this laboratory were analyzed to carry out analytical determinations of the amount of soil (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc,manganese and boron)

Soil and substrate analysis processes are carried out by chemically analyzing soil and substrates. Soils are analyzed in terms of their physical properties Additionally, clay, silt and sand contents were observed granulometrically.

5-It also included the introduction of the orography of the island of Madeira and the discovery of its cultural and environmental beauties.