Term
| Brazil's No-Till Revolution |
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Definition
| No-till and reduced-till methods encouraged better plant growth as well as reducing farmers' costs (used less labor and less fuel), and reduced air and water pollution (enhancing soil conditions and and reducing erosion). |
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Term
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Definition
| Turning the earth by plowing, disking, harrowing, or chiseling. |
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Term
| Positive aspects of Soil Tilling |
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Definition
Aerates soil, works weeds and old crop residue into the soil to nourish it.
-historically boosted the productivity of agriculture Europe. |
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Term
| Negative aspects of Soil Tilling |
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Definition
Leaves the surface bare, allowing wind and water to erode precious topsoil.
-In subtropical regions such as southern Brazil, heavy rainfall promotes erosion, causing tilled soils to lose organic matter and nutrients, and hot weather can overheat tilled soil. |
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Term
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Definition
The practice of raising crops and livestock for human use and consumption.
Agriculture currently covers 38% of Earth's land surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Land we use to raise plants for human use. |
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Term
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Definition
(Pasture)
Land used for grazing livestock. |
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Term
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Definition
| Agriculture that relies on human and animal muscle power, along with hand tools and simple machines. |
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Term
| Industrialized Agriculture |
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Definition
Agriculture that utilizes large-scale mechanization and fossil-fuel combustion, enabling farmers to replace animals with faster and more powerful means of working with crops and livestock.
-Boosted yields by intensifying irrigation and introducing synthetic fertilizers.
-The advent of chemical pesticides reduced competition from weeds and herbivory by crop pests. |
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Term
| Affects of Modern Industrialized Agriculture |
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Definition
-Enabled us to feed more people than ever before, but at hight ecological price.
-When poorly managed, industrial agriculture can remove forests, destroy wetlands, turn grasslands to desserts; diminish biodiversity; encourage invasive species; pollute soil, air, and water with toxic chemicals; and allow fertile soil to be blown and washed away. |
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Term
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Definition
| A plant-supporting system consisting of disintegrated rock, organic matter, water, gases, nutrients, and micro-organisms. |
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Term
| The composition and quality of soil can have as much influence on the region's ecosystems as do the climate, latitude, and elevation |
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Definition
| Because soil is composed of living and nonliving components that interact in complex ways, soil itself meets the definition of an ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| The base geological material in a particular location. (lava/volcanic ash; rock/sediment deposited by glaciers; wind-blown dunes; sediments deposited by rivers, in lakes, or in the ocean; or bedrock. |
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Term
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Definition
| The continuous mass of solid rock that makes up the Earth's crust. |
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Term
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Definition
| The pysical, chemical, and biological processes that turn large rock particles into smaller particles. |
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Term
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Definition
1. lithosphere's parent material is exposed to the effects of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
2. Deposition, decomposition, and accumulation of organic matter.
*The formation of soil plays a key role in terrestrial primary succession. |
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Term
| Deposition of Organic Matter |
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Definition
| Plants, animals, and microbes deposit waste, which is incorporated into the substrate and mixes with minerals. |
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Term
| Decomposition of Organic Matter |
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Definition
| Complex organic molecules are broken down into simpler ones, including those that plants can take up through their roots. |
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Term
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Definition
The dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material made up of complex organic compounds created through partial decomposition of organic matter.
*soils with high humus content hold moisture well and are productive for plant life. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Distinct layer of soil moved, sorted, and organized by wind, water, and organisms after weathering. |
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Term
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Definition
| The cross-section as a whole, from surface to bedrock. |
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Term
| Subdivisions of a Soil Profile |
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Definition
O - Organic (litter layer)
A - Topsoil
E - Eluviated (leaching layer)
B - Subsoil
C - Weathered Parent Material
R - Rock (parent material) |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by whereby solid particles suspended or dissolved in liquid are transported to another location. When it rains, water infiltrates the soil, dissolves some of its components, and carries them downward into the lower horizons. |
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Term
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Definition
Consists mainly of inorganic mineral components such as weathered substrate, with organic matter and humus from above mixed in.
-Portion that is most nutritive for plants, and takes its loose texture, dark coloration, and strong water-holding capacity from its humus content. |
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Term
| Agriculture's Affects on Topsoil |
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Definition
| Topsoil is vital for agriculture, but agriculture practiced unsustainably over time will deplete the organic matter, reducing the soil's fertility and ability to hold water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Soils are classified by properties such as color, texture, structure and pH. |
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Term
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Definition
| Soil with a relatively even mixture of pore and particle sizes. |
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Term
| Swidden Agriculture in the Amazonian Rainforest |
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Definition
Tropical farmers' practice of moving from place to place every few years , clearing patches of forest. (Only sustainable in small populations).
In tropical regions, the massive amount of rain that falls readily leaches minerals and nutrients from the topsoil, keeping it thin and vulnerable. |
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Term
| No-Till or Reduced Tilling on the Kansas Prarie |
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Definition
Lower rainfall means less leaching (nutrients remain within reach of plants' roots).
-Thick, rich topsoil can be farmed repeatedly with minimal loss of fertility. |
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Term
| Common problems affecting soil productivity |
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Definition
erosion
salinization
waterlogging
nutrient depletion
structural breakdown
pollution |
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Term
| World loss of productive crop land per year |
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Definition
5-7million ha
(12-17 million acres)
about the size of West Virginia |
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Term
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Definition
| The removal of material from one place and its transport toward another by the action of wind or water. |
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Term
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Definition
| The arrival of eroded material at its new location. |
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Term
| People have made fertile lands more vulnerable to erosion by |
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Definition
-Overcultivating fields as a result of poor planning or excessive tilling.
-Overgrazing rangelands with more livestock than the land can support.
-Clearing forests on steep slopes or with large clear-cuts. |
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Term
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Definition
| A loss of more than 10% productivity due to erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, overgrazing, drought, salinization, climate change, depletion of water sources, and other factors. |
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Term
| Erosion and Desertification are global problems |
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Definition
| UN report estimated that desertification, worsened by climate change, could displace 50 million people in 10 years. |
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Term
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Definition
| An area that loses huge amounts of topsoil to wind erosion as a result of drought, and/or human impact ; first used to name the region in the North American Great Plains severely affected by drought and topsoil loss in the 1930s. The term is now used to describe that historical event and others like it. |
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Term
| Response to the Dust Bowl |
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Definition
U.S., state, and local governments increased support for research into soil conservation methods.
-Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act of 1935.
-Soil Conservation Service (SCS), which worked closely with farmers to develop conservation plans for individual farms. |
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Term
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Definition
Farmers alternate the type of crop grown in a given field from one season or year to the next.
-returns nutrients to the soil
-breaks cycles of disease associated with continuous cropping.
-minimizes erosion that can come from letting fields run fallow. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope and following the natural contours of the land, to help prevent formation of gullies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Leveled platforms, sometimes with raised edges that are cut into steep hillsides to contain water from irrigation and precipitation. (Staircase) |
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Term
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Definition
planting different types of crops in alternating bands or other spatially mixed arrangements.
-provides more ground cover
-reduces vulnerability to to insects and diesease. |
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Term
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Definition
(windbreaks)
Rows of trees or other tall, perennial plants that are planted along the edges of fields to slow the wind. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tractor pulls a "No-Till Drill" which cuts furrows through the topsoil and crop residue, drops seeds into the furrow, and closes the furrow over the seeds. Often adds localized dose of fertilizer. |
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Term
| Critics of No-Till/Reduced-Tllage Farming |
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Definition
| These approaches often require substantial use of chemical herbicides (weeds are not physically removed) and synthetic fertilizer (other plants compete with crops for nutrients). |
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Term
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Definition
| The artificial provision of water to support agriculture. |
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Term
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Definition
| When the water table rises to the point that water bathes the plant roots, depriving them of access to gases and essentially suffocating them (over-irrigation). |
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Term
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Definition
| The buildup of salts in surface soil layers(Irrigation in arid areas). |
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Term
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Definition
| Any of the various substances that contain essential soil nutrients. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mined or synthetically manufactured mineral supplements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Consist of the remains of organisms and include animal manure; crop residues; fresh vegetation (green manure); and compost. |
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Term
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Definition
A mixture produced when decomposers break down organic matter, including food and crop waste, in a controlled environment.
Proper use improves soil structure, nutrient retention, and water-retaining capacity, helping to prevent erosion. |
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Term
| Affects of Inorganic Fertilizer |
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Definition
-Boosted global food production greatly
-Causing severe pollution problems (nitrogen and phosphorus runoff in Mississippi River Basin = "dead zone" in Gulf of Mexico.
Nitrates readily leach through soil and contaminate ground-water, posing health threats to people. |
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Term
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Definition
| Too many animals eating too much of the plant cover, impeding plant regrowth and preventing the replacement of biomass. |
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Term
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Definition
-Removal of plant cover, soil is exposed and more vulnerable to erosion.
-Non-native weedy plants may invade and outcompete native vegetation.
-Can compact soils/alter their structure
-Greater cause of desertification than agriculture |
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Term
| Conservation Reserve Program |
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Definition
Pays farmers to stop cultivating highly erodible cropland and instead place it in conservation reserves planted with grasses and trees.
-$1 donated = 1 ton of topsoil.
-Generates income for farmers
-Improves water quality
-provides wildlife habitat |
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Term
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Definition
| Receiving too few calories per day. |
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Term
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Definition
| Receiving too few nutrients in food. |
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Term
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Definition
Receiving too many calories each day.
-Obesity now affects over 300 million people
-3/5 Adults are overweight.
-1/4 is obese. |
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Term
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Definition
| The guarantee of adequate and reliable food supply available to all people at all times(Dependent on maintaining healthy soil, water, and biodivirsity). |
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Term
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Definition
| The uniform planting of a single crop. |
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Term
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Definition
| mixing many crops in the same fields. |
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Term
| Price of increased production |
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Definition
Drawing down the natural capital on which future production will depend.
No guarantee that agricultural production will continue to outpace population growth. |
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Term
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Definition
Scientific methods of increasing a crop's output per unit area of existing cultivated land.
-larger seed-heads of wheat in Mexico that were resistant to wind/diseases, produced high yields. |
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Term
| Mixed Affects of Green Revolution on Environment |
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Definition
-Prevented deforestation
-Intense application of water, fossil fuels, inorganic fertilizers, and synthetic pesticides worsened pollution, erosion, salinization and desertification.
-Monocultures reduced biodiversity, more vulnerable to disesase, fungal pathogens, or insect pests. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any organism that damages crops that are valuable to us. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any plant that competes with our crops. |
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Term
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Definition
| Artificial chemicals developed to kill insects (insecticides), plants (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). |
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Term
| Pesticide use cease to be effective |
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Definition
as pests evolve resistance to them.
-Chemical Scientists caught up in evolutionary "arms race" with pests. |
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Term
| Biological Control (Biocontrol) |
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Definition
| Battling pests and weeds with organisms that eat or infect them. (Parasitoid wasps that lay eggs on caterpillar larvae and feed on it). |
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Term
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Definition
Most bio control agents are from foreign ecosystems - no way to tell what effects they might have.
Agents with nontarget affects can do permanent harm. |
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Term
| Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
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Definition
| Integration of numerous techniques including biocontrol, use of chemicals when needed, close monitoring of populations, habitat alteration, crop rotation, transgenic crops, alternative tillage methods and mechanical pest removal. |
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Term
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Definition
the process by which male sex cells of a plant (pollen) fertilize female sex cells of a plant.
At least 800 culivars (types of cultivated plants) rely on bees and other insects for pollination. |
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Term
| Decline of Honey Bee Population |
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Definition
Two accidentally introduced parasitic mites have swept through honeybee populations, decimating hives and pushing many beekeepers toward financial ruin.
-Now, entire hives have been inexplicably dying off (colony collapse disorder). |
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Term
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Definition
| Any process whereby scientists directly manipulate an organism's genetic material in the laboratory by adding, deleting, or changing segments in its DNA. |
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Term
| Genetically Modified (GM) Organisms |
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Definition
| organisms that have been gnentically engineered using recombinant DNA, genetic material patched together from the DNA of different organisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organism that contains DNA from another species. |
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Term
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Definition
| the material application of biological science to create products derived from organisms. |
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Term
| Benefits of Biotechnology |
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Definition
-helped develop medicines
-clean up pollution
-understand the causes of cancer
-dissolve blood clots after heart attacks
-make better beer and cheese |
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Term
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Definition
It remains to early to discern any negative impacts, therefore we should proceed with precautionary principle.
-Ethical Issues
-Domination of global food supply by a few large agrobiotech corporations. |
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Term
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Definition
| the idea that one should not undertake a new action until the ramifications of that action are well understood. |
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Term
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Definition
| institutions that preserve seed types as a kind of living museum of genetic diversity. |
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Term
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Definition
Factory Farms, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
Huge warehouses or pens designed to deliver energy-rich food to animals living in extremely high densities.
-reduces impact on land by concentrating them
-waste from animals produces strong odors and can pollute surface and groundwater leading to disease, which can move up the food chain. |
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Term
| Food Choices = Energy Choices |
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Definition
| The lower in the food chain we take our food sources, the greater the proportion of the sun's energy we use, and the more people Earth can support. |
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Term
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Definition
| Raising fish and shellfish in controlled environments, or "fish farms." |
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Term
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Definition
| Agriculture that can be practiced in the same way far into the future. |
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Term
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Definition
| Agriculture that uses smaller amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, growth hormones, water, and fossil fuel energy than are used in industrial agriculture. |
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Term
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Definition
| Food-growing practices that use no synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides--but instead rely on biological approaches such as composting. |
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Term
| Community-Supported Agriculture |
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Definition
| Consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their yield, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of produce. |
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