Agriculture and the Environment Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering soil composition, agricultural types, yield improvement techniques, environmental impacts, and soil management strategies.

Mineral particles

A combination of rock fragments and inorganic substances formed by physical, chemical, and biological weathering of parent rock.

Organic content

A mixture of living plants, animals, microorganisms, and their dead remains within the soil.

Soil Air

The component held within the pore spaces between mineral particles and organic content, entering the soil by diffusion.

Sand

Soil mineral particles ranging in size from $2.0-0.02\,mm$ with a gritty texture.

Silt

Soil mineral particles ranging in size from $0.02-0.002\,mm$ with a silky or soapy texture.

Clay

The smallest soil mineral particles, sized less than $0.002\,mm$, which are sticky when wet and hard when dried.

NPK

The essential elements Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium provided to plants to construct proteins and carry out life processes.

Humus

Nutrient-rich material produced by decomposers like earthworms, fungi, and bacteria.

Soil pH

A measure affecting nutrient uptake by plant roots, ideally ranging from $5.5-8$, influenced by parent rock and water pH.

Subsistence agriculture

The cultivation of crops on small patches using primitive technology to provide food for the farmer and their family.

Commercial agriculture

Large-scale cultivation of cash crops practiced with modern technology with the main aim of making a profit.

Arable farming

The production of plants, such as rice, wheat, and maize, specifically for consumption by humans.

Pastoral farming

The production of animals or animal-related products including milk, wool, and eggs.

Mixed farming

A type of farming where the farm grows crops for food and simultaneously rears animals.

Crop rotation

The principle of growing different types of plants in different plots each year to reduce pests and maintain soil nutrients.

Legumes

Plants that have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules, often used in crop rotation to increase soil nitrogen.

Irrigation

The practice of supplying water to crops, essential for cell activity, photosynthesis, and nutrient uptake.

Trickle Drip System

An automated irrigation system that provides a constant flow of water directly to roots, reducing evaporation and salinization risk.

Biological Control

A pest control method that uses natural predators to manage the population of pests without chemical residues.

Herbicides

Chemicals specifically used for killing weeds that compete with crops for light, water, and nutrients.

Selective breeding

The process of choosing parents with desired characteristics to produce offspring with specific traits like pest or drought resistance.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

Organisms created by extracting DNA from one organism and inserting it into another to achieve higher yields or resistance.

Hydroponics

A method of growing plants without soil, using water in which the necessary nutrients have been dissolved.

Eutrophication

A process where excess fertilizers leach into water bodies, causing algal blooms and subsequent oxygen depletion that kills aquatic organisms.

Bioaccumulation

The toxic effect on marine life and other animals that occurs when pesticides remain and build up in the environment and food chain.

Salinization

The increase of salt content in the soil caused by evaporating irrigation water, which kills plant roots and makes land unusable.

Waterlogging

A condition where soil is saturated with water, preventing plant roots from obtaining enough oxygen.

Fallow

Land that is ploughed but left barren for a period to restore soil fertility and avoid surplus production.

Soil erosion

The wearing away of topsoil by the physical forces of water or wind.

Interception

Precipitation that is stopped by the leaves and branches of plants and does not reach the soil.

Infiltration

The process by which precipitation soaks into the sub-surface soils and moves into rocks through cracks and pores.

Surface run-off

Water from rainfall or snowmelt that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking in.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert as soil loses its fertility and reduces crop yield.

Terracing

Cutting steep slopes into flat surfaces to reduce the speed of surface run-off and prevent soil erosion.

Contour ploughing

Ploughing land parallel to the contour lines to create furrows that hold water and prevent gully formation.

Bunds

Artificial banks built along contour lines to hold back water, increase infiltration time, and reduce erosion.

Windbreaks

Rows of trees or vegetation that act as a permeable barrier to decrease wind speed and reduce wind erosion.

Intercropping

Growing rows of different crops between the main crop rows to bind the soil with different root depths.

Sustainable agriculture

Farming techniques that meet population needs while making efficient use of non-renewable resources and supporting ecosystems.

Rainwater harvesting

The collection and storage of rainwater in tanks or reservoirs for later agricultural use, such as trickle drip irrigation.