...Explain and evaluate the impact of the ways in which agriculture has increased net productivity. Agricultural ecosystems are made up of largely domesticated animals and plants to be used as food for mankind. There are considerable losses of energy at each trophic level of a food chain and since humans are often at the third or fourth trophic level, the energy we receive is only a small proportion available from the sun at the start of the food chain. Agriculture tries to ensure that as much of the available energy from the sun is transferred to human by increasing the productivity of a food chain. Productivity is defined as: the rate at which something is produced e.g. Plants are called producers because they produce chemical energy. The rate at which plants assimilate this chemical energy is called gross productivity. Gross productivity is measured for a given area during a given period of time, usually in kJm-2 year-1. Typically around 20% of this chemical energy is used by the plant for respiration. The remainder is known as net productivity which is available to the primary consumer in the food chain Net productivity: Net productivity = Gross productivity - Respiratory losses. There are two main factors affecting net productivity: - Efficiency of the crop carrying out photosynthesis: efficiency is improved if all the necessary conditions are supplied and there are no limiting factors. - Area of ground covered by leaves of the crop. In a natural ecosystem...
Words: 947 - Pages: 4
...106.6 CULTURAL CONTROL Is the practice Of modifying The growing environment of the crop or habitat of the unwanted pests to reduce their prevalence. It is also defined as the deliberate alteration of the production system, either the cropping system itself or a specific crop production practices to reduce pest populations Or avoid pest injury to crops. >It differs from physicomech'lcontrol Because the effect of these tactics are mediated through the crop or the crop environment rather than having an impact on the pestItself Drawbacks Being indirect, makes it slow acting has limitation where immediate action is needed as the lone method, cultural method may not eradicate pests; implementation must be in tandem with another or as part of the whole management program. Cultural Control _ Mechanics 1. Impediment to pest colonization of the crop 2. Creation of adverse biotic conditions that reduce survival of individuals or populations of the pest 3. Modification of the crop in such a way that pest infestation results in reduced injury to the crop 4. Enhancement of natural enemies by manipulating the environment CROP ROTATION Effective when used against Pests that attack biennial or annual crops Pests that have relatively narrow host range Pests that have restricted movement Pests that are present prior to planting CULTIVATION MODES cause Mechanical injury, starvation, dessication and exposure TRAP CROPS VSANTAGONISTIC PLANTS USE OF HEALTHY ...
Words: 2959 - Pages: 12
...and mental development of children. chronic undernutrition, or hunger People who cannot grow or buy enough food to meet their basic energy needs suffer from chronic undernutrition, or hunger. commercial inorganic fertilizer The best way to maintain soil fertility is through soil conservation. The next best option is to restore some of the plant nutrients that have been washed, blown, or leached out of the soil, or that have been removed by repeated crop harvesting. To do this, farmers can use commercial inorganic fertilizer produced from various minerals. compost produced when microorganisms in soil break down organic matter such as leaves, crop residues, food wastes, paper, and wood in the presence of oxygen. desertification It occurs when the productive potential of soil, especially on arid or semiarid land, falls by 10% or more because of a combination of prolonged drought and human activities that reduce or degrade topsoil. famine occurs when there is a severe shortage of food in an area accompanied by mass starvation, many deaths, economic chaos, and social disruption. fishery a concentration of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water. food insecurity living with chronic hunger and poor nutrition, which threatens their ability to lead healthy and productive lives. food security means that every person in a given area has daily access to...
Words: 833 - Pages: 4
... 3. Comparative Studies- woodland caribou -Food limited -Predator limited D. Optimal Foraging theory: how do predators choose their diets? (see chapter 3) *What is the optimum strategy? = Energy maximization or time minimization Max En/T Assumptions about the predator (forager): -Eating and searching for the next food (prey) item are mutually exclusive activities. -Items are found sequentially, items are found one at a time. Energetic Value of prey: EACH PREY ITEM HAS AN ENERGENTIC VALUE (ei) Handling time: A HANDLING TIME (hi) Profitability: : e/h= profitability of each prey item (such that prey can be ranked) Rule: optimal foraging rule (prediction) – always eat the most profitable prey and eat the next most profitable prey if the gain is greater than the gain from rejecting it and searching for a more profitable prey. Predictions of Optimal Foraging Theory: The highest ranked prey type should always be eaten when encountered. 1) Predators with small handling times and long search times should be GENERALISTS. 2) Diets should be broad in pre-poor (unproductivr) environments. 3) The abundance of low ranking prey types is unaffected by the a abundance of the low-ranking prey is irrelevant. Herbivory and mutualisms (Chapter 12) A. Introduction -Herb ivory: animals feeding on plants. -Only part of the prey item is eaten base of many food webs B. The world is green. Thus, herbivores...
Words: 2346 - Pages: 10
...of pesticides. How are most of these pesticides entering our bodies, through the food we consume. So, why does our food contain so many pesticides, because over 70% of it comes from Industrial Farming Operations. Today I would like to talk about multiple reasons as to why we need to move away from Industrial Farming and towards a more sustainable type of farming. What is Industrial Farming? Industrial Farming is a type of farming that maximizes production of food and profits by using excessive amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and hormones that end up in what we eat, drink and breathe. What is Sustainable Farming? Sustainable Farming produces food without excessive use of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics or petroleum-based fertilizers. This practice encourages short and long term health benefits and lessens the likelihood of certain diseases. Pesticides Industrial Farming relies on the routine use of toxic pesticides applied to both crops and animals. These chemicals are known to pollute air, soil, water, and to have negative effects on human health. Sustainable farms minimize the use of pesticides and rely on alternative forms of pest control whenever possible. One such method, integrated pest management, involves carefully assessing the overall environment of a farm and using techniques including mechanical pest traps, predatory insects, and insect-repelling plants to control pests. Environment Industrial Farming causes massive topsoil erosion and aquifer...
Words: 938 - Pages: 4
...Many microbial disease been discovered during that period leading to the decreasing of human population on that time. After the World War II, antibiotics were introduced to medicine. In the 1940s, electron microscope was developed and perfected and followed by development of vaccine. Then until now, microbes were used into many fields of human beings, including the development of pharmaceutical products, the use of quality controls methods in food and dairy products, the control of disease-causing microorganism in consumable waters, and...
Words: 1390 - Pages: 6
...Development Institute Category Activity Description Agro-Industry/Agriculture Animal Production and Sam Motta's Goats and Sheep Demonstration and Marketing Systems Training Centre Animal Production and Hounslow Goats and Sheep Demonstration and Training Marketing Systems Centre Animal Production and Small Ruminant Production and Marketing Systems Marketing Systems Development Crop Production and Marketing Systems Livestock Feeds and Feeding systems Enhanced Hot Pepper Production Feeding Systems development for ruminants Education/Research PROCICARIBE PROCICARIBE Caribbean Integrated Pest Management Network Caribbean Small Ruminant Network (CASRUNet) Soil and Water Management Studies in the Rio Minho Valley Project Environment Hillside Farming Systems of Jamaica and the OECS Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest and Pesticides Management...
Words: 16917 - Pages: 68
...natural and organic fertilizer that helps to keep in the soil with all the nutrients and live microorganisms required for the benefits of the plants. The soil is alive and contains a lot of microorganism that produce natural N-K-P and other nutrients required for agricultre and plants. Using chemical products eventually will kill all this micro live and transform productive soils in sand in few years. Bio Fertilizer .Com is one organic center with information about natural products and eco friendly energies. Information Center about how to use Solar, Wind , BioDigestors and other sources of cheap energy for houses and business. Bio Pesticides are natural products that helps in the maintenance of gardens and organic food production. Read the Biology of Microorganisms to learn more about the scientific basis. Introducing the basics of the science of Biology of Microorganisms and its applications, as fertilizers or composting for example. Organic Farming State The World of Organic Agriculture: More Than 31 Million Hectares Worldwide The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), and the Foundation Ecology & Farming (SOEL), Germany, presented the latest global data on organic farming at the BioFach fair 2006 in Nuremberg, the world leading fair for organic food. According to the survey, currently more than 31 million hectares of farmland are under organic management worldwide, a gain of around...
Words: 7882 - Pages: 32
...scantrons will be provided. Main Concepts Chapter 13: * Soil forming factors * Soil formation begins with fragmentation of parent material. * Parent material consists of ancient layers of rock, or more recent deposits from lava flows or glacial activity. * The first organisms to gain a foothold in modified parent material also contribute to soil formation. * Lichens form pioneer communities. * Decomposition of dead lichens further alters underlying rock. Humus is the organic material resulting from the decay of plant and animal remains. * It mixes with top layers of mineral particles, and supplies needed nutrients to plants. * It creates a crumbly soil that allows adequate water absorption and drainage. * Burrowing animals such as earthworms bring nutrients up from deeper soil layers, improving soil fertility. * * The organic material resulting from the decay of plant and animals remains is called………….? HUMUS * Soil properties: Soil texture Soil texture is determined by the size of mineral particles within the soil. * Too many large particles (sand, gravel) lead to extreme leaching. * Too many small particles (clay) lead to poor drainage. * What are the major soil classification types in North America Over 15,000 separate soil types have been classified in North America. * Most cultivated land can be classified as either grassland or forest soil. * Grassland soils usually...
Words: 3263 - Pages: 14
...repellent, used to keep insects from eating and killing the plant, but scientist don't know what other effects can happen. With advanced...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...Corn Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic approach to monitoring pest lifecycles and prevalence in farmer’s fields to determine the best pest control methods to protect crop yield potential in the current and following growing seasons. IPM is a continuum of pest management evaluations, decisions, and controls that encompass pest lifecycles and prevalence, agronomic practices such as crop rotation, seed selection, soil management, and timely use of pesticides to minimize pest damage and protect environmental resources. Red Root Rot a Late Season Disease of Corn * Roots and basal stalk tissue infected with red root rot characteristically have reddish-pink, rotted roots. * Stalks are weakened and susceptible to lodging. * Premature plant death is common and can occur quickly and yield losses can be as high as 15-20%. * Genetic resistance to red root rot is uncommon and breeding for disease resistance is difficult. Management Management options are limited. Crop rotation with a non-host such as soybean can provide some control.1 Genetic resistance has been difficult to incorporate into corn products, although the rate of disease development varies greatly between corn products. Research on inheritance of disease resistance indicates that it is a polygenic trait with additive gene action, which has complicated breeding efforts.1 Environmental stress during the season may contribute to disease infection and severity...
Words: 16131 - Pages: 65
...Lane, Henry ; Maznevski, Martha ; DiStefano, Joseph & Dietz, Joerg. (2009) International management behavior : leading with a global mindset. 6th ed. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley. "Montsanto Europe (A)", pp. 119-133. CASE 1 Monsanto Europe (A)1 We should diligently explore the possibilities of non-chemical methods [of pest control] ....Until a large-scale conversion to these methods has been made, we shall have little relief from a situation that, by any common-sense standards, is intolerable.2 Erwironmentalist Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring On November 5, 1996, the captain of Ideal Progress piloted the large freighter into the calm waters of Hamburg harbor. Suddenly the still autumn air was pierced by a shrill noise and large floodlights momentarily blinded the captain. The engines ground to a halt as some of the deck crew gathered around the bow to listen to the chants of their strange assailants. The captain was one of the few who understood what the commotion was about; a Greenpeace ship had come to protest the arrival of the first shipment of genetically modified soybeans from the United States. IVEY Richard lvey School of Business The University of Western Ontario � Northeastern � U N I V E R S I T Y David Wesley, Professors Francis Spital and Henry W. Lane prepared this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors...
Words: 1891 - Pages: 8
...develop a new range of practices that can help to improve our quality of living. The definition of biotechnology is commonly referred to as using organisms or their products for commercial purposes. Some of the things that biotechnology have been used to do is bake breads, brew new alcoholic beverages by adding different kinds of flavors and textures, and it has also been use to help breed animals and also crops for human and animal consumption. In recent years there have been new changes in molecular biology have that have been able to give the world of biotechnology a new meaning and purpose and potential for other applications. What is now gathering the attention of people today is biotechnology a more modern version that affects the foods that we eat. Biotechnology has had a relatively positive effect in today’s world and economic structure. One example of modern biotechnology is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the process of transferring individual genes between organisms or modifying the genes in an organism to remove or add a desired trait or characteristic. Genetic engineering is the method of changing DNA molecules in order to alter the material it contains. By this type of genetic engineering scientist can alter either the kind of proteins or even the type basically altering what an organism is able to produce. This was primarily used in agriculture first mostly by farmers. Scientist would alter the genetic makeup of seeds for the crops basically...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
... 1. Populations 3 1.1 Populations and ecosystems 3 1.2 Investing populations 3 1.3 Variation in population size 5 1.4 Competition 6 1.5 Predation 8 1.6 Human populations 10 2. ATP 12 2.1 Energy and ATP 12 3. Photosynthesis 14 3.1 Overview of Photosynthesis 14 3.2 The Light- dependent reaction 16 3.3 The Light Independent Reaction 17 3.4 Factors Affecting Photosynthesis 18 4. Respiration 20 4.1 Glycolysis 20 4.2 Link reaction and Krebs cycle 21 4.3 The electron transport chain 23 4.4 Anaerobic respiration 24 5. Energy and Ecosystems 25 5.1 Food chains and Food webs 25 5.2 Energy Transfer between Trophic Levels 26 5.3 Ecological Pyramids 27 5.4 Agricultural Ecosystems 28 5.5 Chemical and Biological Control of Agricultural Pests 29 5.6 Intensive Rearing of Domestic Livestock 31 6. Nutrient Cycles 33 6.1 The carbon cycle 33 6.2 The greenhouse effect and global warming 34 6.3 The Nitrogen Cycle 35 6.4 Use of Natural and Artificial Fertilisers 36 6.5 Environmental consequences of using nitrogen fertilisers 36 7. Ecological Succession 37 Succession 37 7.2 Conservation of Habitats 38 8. Inheritance and Selection 39 8.1 Studying inheritance 39 8.2 Monohybrid Inheritance 40 8.3 Sex Inheritance and Sex Linkage 41 8.4 Co-dominance and Multiple Alleles 42 8.5 Allelic Frequency and Population Genetics 43 8.6 Selection 44 8.7 Speciation...
Words: 8727 - Pages: 35
...Communication in English II 11. Nigerian People and Culture 12. Social Sciences 13. Organic Chemistry 14. Biology II 15. Organic Chemistry II 16. Mathematics 17. Practical Physics 18. Use of Library Sub-Total 200 Credits 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 18 Credits Credits 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 17 Credits Level 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. First Semester Climatology and Biogeography General Agriculture Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals Crop Anatomy, Taxonomy and Physiology Principles of Soil Science Principles of Agricultural Economics Introduction to Forestry Resource Manag~ment Introduction to Biotechnology Sub-Total 8. 9. 10 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Second Semester Principles of Animal Production Principles of Crop Production Principles of Food Science and Technology Introductory Biochemistry Introduction to Computers Introduction to Fisheries & Wildlife Introductory Statistics Entrepreneurial Studies I Introduction to Home Economics Sub-Total Credits 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 18 Credits Credits 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 19 Credits Total = 37 Credits All courses are core-courses for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 300 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Level First Semester l\Ion-ruminant Animal Production Arable Crop Production Introduction to Soil Pedology and Physics Introduction to Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology Introduction to Farm Machinery Applications of Computer to Agricultural Production Crop Genetics and Breeding Introduction to Farm Management and Production Economics...
Words: 20312 - Pages: 82
