DIET2003 QUIZ 2 (Weeks 4-7)

Describe the Australian agricultural landscape, its commodities and the concept of food security in relation to this (HORTICULTURE).

AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE

• 1% of the Australian population is farmer, managing 55% of Australia’s land mass for ag production

• 70% of food produced > exported

AUSTRALIAN COMMODITIES > Large Scale, Broad Acre Crops

• North: tropical > mixed lifestyle, cropping

• South: horticulture, dairy

• West: agricultural technologies for cereal crops

Top 5 Commodities

1. Cattle

2. Wheat

3. Fruit & nuts

4. Sheep

5. Milk

FOOD SECURITY

• Food security is human right > growing challenge

• Food production needs to be increased by 60% to feed  10bn by 2030

Explain the impact of climate change on Australian agriculture, and the impact of Australian agriculture on climate change. Describe two possible approaches to combat this. (HORTICULTURE > bidirectional relationship).

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AG

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a rise of at least 1.5C. Results in:

• Lower yields: every 1C increase = 10% decrease in wheat yield, 6% decrease in net primary production

• Decreased biosecurity: invasive species move with changing climate.

• Increased drought risk: rainfall declined 16% since 1970

• Floods: waterlogged/eroded soils, crop loss, fungal disease, livestock losses & bacterial infection, road closure and transport issues, power outages (reduced farm ops)

• Bushfires: larger & hotter heatwaves, less hazard reduction

IMPACT OF AG ON CLIMATE CHANGE

• Emissions: at contributes 17% emissions (livestock & machinery)

•  Land clearing: major emission source > 115 million tonnes annually, old land clearing & tillage practices = soil erosion, salinity

• Water: at uses 70% of Australia’s water footprint

• Biodiversity: monoculture susceptible to disease

SOLUTIONS?
Conservation Agriculture: Maintenance of permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance & diversification of plant species

• No till cropping, cover cropping, mulching, crop rotations, summer fallow

Sustainable Intensification: Use of advanced technologies to optimise inputs & increase yield without adverse environmental impacts or cultivation of more land

• Pesticides, agricultural biotechnology, digital tech, AI & robots

Describe the till vs no till argument in relation to conservation agriculture. Discuss the role of glyphosate in no till techniques (HORTICULTURE)

TILL/TILLAGE

Tillage (ploughing): method of turning over old crops to prepare soil for planting, resulting in:

• Emissions from tillage machinery

• Soil erosion and water sediment

• Lower yields

• Loss of nutrients, microbes, soil moisture

NO TILL

• 85% of Aus farms are no till, 90% prevention of soil erosion, 60% reduction of emissions from fossil fuels.

• Most effective conservation soil system. Instead of tilling > glysophate is used & crops are planted directly into standing stubble of previous crop = soil undisturbed

• Reduced soil erosion (from plowing & tilling), increased organic soil matter/strucure/microbes/moisture

ROLE/CONTROVERSIES OF GLYPHOSATE (ROUNDUP)

• Key active factor of Glyphosate > enzyme inhibiting action

• Used against invasive weeds

• Controversy of use > cancer risk – traces in food not significant enough to cause significant health problems

Explain different inputs in sustainable intensification (HORTICULTURE)

Herbicides: Pesticides that kill invasive weeds competing for resources, also used in environmental land management & water conservation.

Insecticides: Controls insects & invasive pests that wipe out crops/infect them with disease. Globalization/climate = major threat

Fungicides: Protect plants from fungi disease exacerbated by humidity e.g., vegetables, fruit & nuts

Describe issues facing Australian farms: food loss & climate change. (HORTICULTURE)

FOOD LOSS ON FARMS

-               40% of crops are lost each year due to pests, weeds and diseases e.g., Irish Potato Famine

-               800m people are hungry, 10% of the global population & 1 million Australians are food insecure

-               Fungal pathogens > biggest threat, resistant

CLIMATE CHANGE > BIGGEST BIOSECURITY THREAT

• Global proliferation and expansion of fail armyworm has infested corn, rice & sorghum crops globally > most recently Australia

• Causes ecosystem drift e.g., foot & mouth disease in livestock

• Primary control: insecticides & border control

Describe some common soil conservation practices (HORTICULTURE)

Cover cropping: grasses/legumes planted to cover soil between crop rows = weed suppression, adds nitrogen, erosion control.

Crop rotation: different crops in same land plot over growing season = inc nutrients, reduced reliance on 1 nutrient, weed/pest resistance.

Summer fallow: essential dry land practice of resting crop land to conserve water & nutrients to grow crops not otherwise possible. Managed with glyphosate.

Explain the use of GPS, GIS (geographic information systems) and AI in Australian agriculture (HORTICULTURE)

Boundary mapping: accurate navigation for machinery, soil sampling, crop health monitoring

Compare variables: yield potential, crop health monitoring, soil moisture and irrigation.

Drones & robots: pest and weed killer identification and precise input application.

AI driven greenhouses: pest and weed identification and precise input application.

List some benefits of GM crops, and distinguish between GMO and GE crops. (HORTICULTURE)

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROP BENEFITS

-               Climate change adaption

-               Enables no till

-               Heat, drought, flood and salt tolerance

-               Pest & disease resistant

-               Increased yield

-               Nitrogen use efficiency

-               Reduced carbon emissions/chem inputs

-               Higher protein/nutrition content

-               In 2020: GM crops allow farmers to use 58 million less acres of land

GMOs vs GE

GMO technique: a foreign gene is inserted into the DNA strand

• Crop takes on improved characteristics associated with the new gene & genetic modification can be detached.

GE (CRISPR) technique: gene is cut & it’s DNA is naturally modified during repair

• Crops DNA is changed but tests cannot distinguish GE crop from traditional breeding techniques

GM CROPS: AUSTRALIA

• 99.5% of cotton grown in Australia > GM, grown since 1996

• Bt cotton produces its own insecticide to combat it’s major pest – bollworm

• Australian cotton: globally renowned as the most water efficient

List some upcoming innovations in the Australian agricultural industry (HORTICULTURE)

Biopesticides: dsRNA targets specific pest gene.

Precision fermentation: biotech to brew animal like proteins.

Synthetic biology: redesigning organisms through engineering

GM nutrition benefits: fortified fruits & veg with vitamins & antioxidants.

• 1 ha DHA canola = as much DHA as 10 tonnes of fish

• Tomatoes high in antioxidant, GABA or Vit D

• Wheat without gluten and less acrylamide