VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (KAUSHAL BODH)- CLASS 8 – Q&A

PROJECT 1 : HYDROPONICS: GROWING PLANTS WITHOUT SOIL

Questions and Answers

From Page 11 (Activity 1: Field Visit to a Farm)

Questions:

  1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the hydroponics system?
  2. Is there any difference in the method or tools used for harvesting, transport, and storage?

Answers:

  • 1. Record your observations in Table 1.2, including new technologies related to liquid nutrients, use of artificial lights instead of sunlight, simulating moisture in a dry area, protection from light and wind, control of water supply, etc. (The document instructs students to ask these questions to experts during a field visit and record the answers, but specific answers are not provided in the text.)
  • 2. Same as above; students are expected to gather this information from experts during the field visit and record it in Table 1.2.

From Page 15 (Activity 2: Growing Microgreens for Preparing a Healthy Salad)

Questions:

  1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of growing microgreens using hydroponics?
  2. Have you used the microgreens? How did you use them (raw salad or as a garnish?)
  3. Can this method be applied to all crops? What are the probable limitations of microgreen production?

Answers:

  • 1. Reflect on your learnings: Record the advantages and disadvantages based on your experience growing microgreens in Table 1.4, noting significant challenges or difficulties faced during the activity.
  • 2. Reflect on your learnings: Record how you used the microgreens (e.g., raw salad or as a garnish) in Table 1.4.
  • 3. Reflect on your learnings: Consider whether this method can be applied to all crops and identify probable limitations of microgreen production, recording these in Table 1.4.

From Page 18 (Activity 3: Building a Hydroponic System Using “Wick Method”)

Questions:

  1. Which seeds, seedlings, or plant cuttings did you use for the system?
  2. Were you able to observe the soil getting wet in the upper pot?
  3. List three key difficulties you experienced while building the system. What did you do to overcome them?

Answers:

  • 1. Record the details in Table 1.5, specifying which seeds, seedlings, or plant cuttings were used for the wick hydroponic system.
  • 2. Record in Table 1.5 whether you observed the soil getting wet in the upper pot, noting that this is due to capillary action, where liquid moves through the wick without external forces like gravity.
  • 3. List three key difficulties experienced while building the system and describe what you did to overcome them in Table 1.5.

From Page 22 (Activity 4: Building a Hydroponic System Using Deep Water Culture (DWC) or Bucket Method)

Questions:

  1. List three key challenges you faced during the construction and maintenance of the system. What will you do differently next time?

Answers:

  • 1. Record three key challenges faced during the construction and maintenance of the DWC system and describe what you will do differently next time in the section following Table 1.7.

From Page 24 (Activity 5: Building a Hydroponic System Using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT))

Questions:

  1. Why did you use an aerator in the DWC system but not in the NFT system?
  2. Make a comparative chart for DWC vs NFT systems – you can compare aspects such as ease of construction, plant growth, etc.

Answers:

  • 1. Reflect on why an aerator was used in the DWC system but not in the NFT system. (The document implies that the NFT system does not require an aerator because water flows continuously in a thin film, providing sufficient oxygen, whereas DWC relies on standing water where an aerator ensures dissolved oxygen for root growth.)
  • 2. Create a comparative chart for DWC vs. NFT systems, comparing aspects such as ease of construction, plant growth, etc., as instructed in the document. (No specific chart is provided; students are expected to create one based on their observations.)

From Page 28 (Activity 7: Maintaining Water pH)

Questions:

  1. What is the pH of your water?
  2. Which acid did you use?
  3. What is the water pH of the system after adding the acid?
  4. After 4 days of adding acid, what is the effect of the change in pH of water in the hydroponic system?

Answers:

  • 1. Record the pH of the water in Table 1.11, using pH paper to check the initial pH of tap water (expected to be neutral, around 7).
  • 2. Record which acid (e.g., acetic acid/vinegar or citric acid/lime juice) was used to adjust the pH in Table 1.11.
  • 3. Record the pH of the water in the hydroponic system after adding the acid in Table 1.11, aiming to adjust it to around 4 (acidic).
  • 4. Record the effect of the pH change on plant roots and leaves after 4 days in Table 1.11, noting observations after adding the acidic water to the hydroponic system (DWC or NFT).

From Page 28 (What Did I Learn from Others?)

Questions:

  1. Have you come across any other advanced farming technology in your locality? If yes, describe the technology.
  2. Name any three things that you learnt while setting up the hydroponic system.

Answers:

  • 1. Describe any other advanced farming technology observed in your locality, based on your experience or field visit observations.
  • 2. List three things learned while setting up the hydroponic system, based on your work with the activities (e.g., microgreens, wick method, DWC, NFT, compost tea, or pH maintenance).

From Page 29 (What Else Can I Do?)

Questions (Implied Reflection Questions):

  1. What did you enjoy doing the most?
  2. What were the challenges you faced?
  3. What will you do differently next time?
  4. Do you think it is economical and practically feasible to [set up hydroponic systems]?
  5. Identify a few [additional activities or improvements].

Answers:

  • 1. Reflect on what you enjoyed most about the hydroponics project activities (e.g., growing microgreens, building systems, making compost tea).
  • 2. List the challenges faced during the activities (e.g., technical difficulties, resource limitations).
  • 3. Describe what you would do differently next time to improve the process or outcomes.
  • 4. Evaluate whether setting up hydroponic systems is economical and practically feasible, considering costs and resources recorded in tables like Table 1.6.
  • 5. Identify additional activities or improvements, such as those suggested in the document (e.g., creating a photo-story, painting wick-hydroponic bottles, experimenting with different growth media, measuring environmental factors, or displaying models at Kaushal Mela).

Notes:

  • The document is designed as a hands-on educational guide for Grade 8 students, encouraging them to perform activities and record observations in tables (e.g., Table 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11). Many questions are open-ended, requiring students to reflect on their practical experiences.
  • Specific answers are not provided in the text because the document expects students to derive answers through their experiments and observations. The answers listed above are instructions for students to follow in recording their findings.
  • Some questions are implied or part of reflection answers, especially in the “What Else Can I Do?” section on Page 29.
  • The document references tables and figures (e.g., Figure 1.1 to 1.11, Table 1.1 to 1.11) to guide students in documenting their work, but these are not fully detailed in the provided text due to truncation or formatting issues.

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