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Productivityandcropqualityvarystronglyamongthediverse light microenvironments within a tree’s canopy. An effective teaching exercise to convey this biologically and agriculturally important principle to plant science students is lacking. We applied a simple participatory learning approach to teach the importanceoflightmicroenvironmentinthedensecanopyofamature pecan tree [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch ‘Schley’]. Leaves and nuts were sampled along a steep light flux gradientthroughthecanopy,andspecificleafweight(leafweightper unitleafarea),wasusedasasimple,proven,andintegrativemeasure to quantify the incident light gradient. Simple regression analysisrevealedtheimportanceofspecificleafweight(lightexposure) as a predisposing factor controlling nut quality and nitrogen(N)allocation.Multipleregressionanalysisfurtheraided systematiclearninginthatitexposedstudentstostatisticalcomplexities in determining major sources of variation in nut attributes (“masking” of one independent variable by another). This exercise enabled participatory learning in the scientific method, including collection and processing of field samples, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and hypothesis testing. Theself-generatedfindingsinducedasenseofownershipamong students, resulting in positive learning outcomes and strengtheningthematchbetweenteachingandlearningstylesbeyondthe traditionalclassroomlectureapproach.Theworkalsoprovided an experiential, discovery-based setting that addressed a deficit in the scientific pecan literature. The exercise is simple, inexpensive,fitsnicelywithinasemestertime-frame,andbroadlyapplicable. It encourages active student participation in an inquiry-driven environment. |
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