What is Agronomy?

Information about Agronomy

Agronomy is a branch of agricultural science that deals with the study of field crops and grassland management and the soils in which they grow. It involves the production of food products from farming, the production of animal feed and fiber crops. Turf grass, pasture and rangeland management also are covered.[1][2] Agronomists work to develop methods that will improve the use of soil and increase the production of food, fiber and nutraceutical crops. They conduct research in crop rotation, irrigation and drainage, plant breeding, soil classification, soil fertility, weed control, insect and pest control and other areas.

Selective breeding

Agronomy involves selective breeding of plants to produce the best crops under various conditions. Plant breeding has increased crop yields and has improved the nutritional value of several crops, including corn and wheat. It also has led to the development of new types of plants. For example, a hybrid grain called triticale was produced by crossbreeding rye and wheat. Triticale contains more usable protein than does either rye or wheat. It also has been essential in fruit and vegetable production research.

However, most growers agree that selective breeding and genetic modification by corporations and other centralized breeding stations decreases both the gastronomic quality and agronomic performance under low-input and other sustainable agriculture systems. Genetic diversity may be adversely affected by this practice as well.

Agronomy and soil

Main article: Agricultural soil science
Agronomists study ways to make soils more productive. They classify soils and reproduce them to determine whether they contain substances vital to plant growth. Such nutritional substances include compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. If certain soil is deficient in these substances, fertilizers may provide them. Agronomists investigate the movement of nutrients through the soil, and the amount of nutrients absorbed by a plant's roots. Agronomists also examine the development of the roots and their relation to the soil. They also use fertlizer to make it more effective and do other things.

Soil preservation

In addition, agronomists develop methods to preserve the soil and to decrease the effects of erosion by wind and water. For example, a technique called contour plowing may be used to prevent soil erosion and conserve rainfall. Researchers in agronomy also seek ways to use the soil more effectively in solving other problems. Such problems include the disposal of human and animal wastes; water pollution; and the build-up in the soil of chemicals called pesticides, which are used to kill insects and other pests. No-tilling crops is a technique now used to help prevent erosion. planting of soil binding grasses along contours can be tried in steep slopes. For better effect, contour drains of depths up to 1 metre may help retain the soil and prevent permanent wash off.

Theoretical modelling

See Theoretical production ecology

Agronomy Schools

Higher education is currently a common denominator for agronomist. There are many agronomy schools around the world with high standards and first class research facilities.

Employment of agronomists

Most agronomists are consultants, researchers, or teachers. Many work for agricultural experiment stations, federal or state government agencies, industrial firms, or universities. Agronomists also serve in such international organizations as the Agency for International Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

See also

External links

Further reading

  • World Book encyclopedia 1988
  • Machines on the Farm by Hope I. Marston, Thomas Nelson, 1982. For younger readers.
  • The Future World of Agriculture by Wendy B. Murphy, Watts, 1984.
  • Storia delle scienze agrarie by Antonio Saltini, 4 vols, Bologna 1984-89, ISBN 88-206-2412-5, ISBN 88-206-2413-3, ISBN 88-206-2414-1, ISBN 88-206-2414-X

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. (Veterinary science, but not animal science, is often excluded from the definition.
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Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of mechanized farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses.
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Rangeland refers to expansive, mostly unimproved lands on which a significant proportion of the natural vegetation is native grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, and shrubs. Rangeland also consists of areas seeded to native or adapted introduced species that are managed like native
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Nutraceutical is a portmanteau of "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical" and refers to foods claimed to have a medicinal effect on human health. Such foods are also called functional foods. It can also refer to individual chemicals present in common foods.
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Crop rotation or Crop sequencing is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same space in sequential seasons for various benefits such as to avoid the build up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped.
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Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. In crop production it is mainly used to replace missing rainfall in periods of drought, but also to protect plants against frost.
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Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.
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Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to create desired genotypes and phenotypes for specific purposes. This manipulation involves either controlled pollination, genetic engineering, or both, followed by artificial selection of progeny.
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Soil classification deals with the systematic categorization of soils based on distinguishing characteristics as well as criteria that dictate choices in use.

Overview


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Soil fertility is the characteristic of soil that supports abundant plant life. In particular the term is used to describe agricultural and garden soil.

Fertile soil has the following properties:

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Weed control is the botanical component of pest control, stopping weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants and livestock by physical and chemical methods.
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Insecta
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders
Subclass Apterygota
* Archaeognatha (bristletails)
* Thysanura (silverfish)
Subclass Pterygota
* Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic)

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Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1
Written by –
Original airdate –

Episode chronology
← Previous Next ?
"It Came From Next Door." –

This is a disambiguation.
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Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of developing a cultivated breed over time.

Purebreds

See also:

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Z. mays

Binomial name
Zea mays
L.

Maize (IPA: /ˈmeɪz/) (Zea mays L. ssp.
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hybrid has two meanings.[1]

The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. Hybrids between different species within the same genus are sometimes known as interspecific hybrids or crosses.
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Triticale (x Triticosecale) is an artificial or man-made hybrid of rye and wheat first bred in laboratories during the late 19th century. The grain was originally bred in Scotland and Sweden. Commercially available triticale is almost always a 2nd generation hybrid, i.e.
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S. cereale

Binomial name
Secale cereale
M.Bieb.

Rye (Secale cereale) is a grass grown extensively as a grain and forage crop.
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Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues.
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fruit has different meanings depending on context. In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary—together with seeds—of a flowering plant. In many species, the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues.
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Vegetable is a term which generally refers to an edible part of a plant. The definition is traditional rather than scientific and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are normally considered vegetables.
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Gastronomy is the study of relationship between culture and food. It is often thought erroneously that the term gastronomy refers exclusively to the art of cooking (see Culinary Arts), but this is only a small part of this discipline: it cannot always be said that a cook is
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Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals: environmental stewardship, farm profitability, and prosperous farming communities. These goals have been defined by a variety of disciplines and may be looked at from the vantage point of the farmer or the consumer.
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Agricultural soil science is a branch of soil science that deals with the study of edaphic conditions as they relate to the production of food and fiber.

History

Prior to the development of pedology in the 19th century, agricultural soil science was the only branch of soil
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SOiL is a five-piece Hard Rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. They formed in 1997 and are still active. They are signed to DRT Entertainment and have released four albums, their most recent being True Self which was released in March 27 2006.
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3, 5, 4, 2
(strongly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 3.04 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more) 1st: 1402.3 kJmol−1
2nd: 2856 kJmol−1
3rd: 4578.1 kJmol−1

Atomic radius 65 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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5, 4
(mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.19 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more) 1st: 1011.8 kJmol−1
2nd: 1907 kJmol−1
3rd: 2914.1 kJmol−1

Atomic radius 100 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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Potassium (IPA: /pə(ʊ)ˈtasiəm/, /pə'tæsiəm/) is a chemical element. It has the symbol K (Arabic: al qalja
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Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of bioerosion).
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