Plant & Livestock Midterms

Crop cultivation

Involves systematic human intervention to ensure plants grow efficiently and produce a reliable harvest.

Soil preparation

The land is loosened and aerated to improve root penetration and water absorption.

Planting and crop management

Seeds or seedlings are sown in prepared soil, and crops are monitored for growth.

Weed, pest, and disease control

Cultivation includes removing competing weeds and protecting crops from pests and diseases to ensure optimal growth.

Harvesting and post-harvest handling

Once crops reach maturity, they are harvested and may undergo drying, storage, or grading to maintain quality and reduce losses.

Animal housing

Refers to the physical structures such as barns, coops, hutches, kennels, cages, and aviaries, designed to safely shelter animals, protect them from weather and predators, and support their daily care and wellbeing.

Protection (animal housing)

Shields animals from harsh weather, predators, and hazards.

Controlled environment (animal housing)

Maintains appropriate temperature, ventilation, and lighting.

Daily care (animal housing)

Provides space for feeding, resting, and waste elimination.

Welfare and enrichment (animal housing)

Supports natural behaviors and reduces stress.

Animal feeding

The practice of providing food to domesticated animals, such as livestock, poultry, fish, and pets, so that they receive the nutrients necessary for growth, health, reproduction, and productivity.

Roughages

Bulky, high-fiber feeds like hay, pasture grass, silage, straw, and crop stalks, which supply structural carbohydrates, calcium, potassium, and fat-soluble vitamins.

Concentrates

Dense, nutrient-rich feeds such as grains (corn, barley, wheat) for energy, and protein sources like soybean meal or cottonseed meal.

Automatic watering system

Animal-activated livestock waterers are a type of ___ system that provides water to livestock on demand.

Waste management

The process of collecting, transporting, treating, and disposing of waste materials to reduce their environmental and health impacts, covering activities from waste generation to final disposal.

Collection and transportation (waste)

Gathering waste from homes, businesses, and industries and moving it to processing or disposal sites.

Treatment (waste)

Reducing waste volume or toxicity through chemical, biological, or mechanical processes.

Recycling and composting

Converting waste materials into new products or nutrient-rich compost.

Energy recovery

Generating heat, electricity, or fuel from non-recyclable waste.

Disposal (waste)

Landfilling or incineration when no other options are feasible.

Temperature

Measure of hotness or coldness expressed in terms of any of several arbitrary scales and indicating the direction in which heat energy will spontaneously flow, from a hotter body to a colder body.

Thermometer

A device that measures temperature.

Degree Celsius

The unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale.

Fahrenheit scale

A temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit.

Kelvin

The base unit for temperature in the International System of Units (SI).

International System of Units (SI)

The modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement.

Humidity (concentration)

The concentration of water vapor present in the air.

Ventilation

The intentional introduction of outdoor air into a space, primarily to control indoor air quality by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants.

LED horticulture lighting

High-efficiency, spectrally tuned LEDs deliver precise photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) to optimize plant growth, reduce fertilizer use, and extend growing seasons.

Irrigation

In agriculture, the artificial application of water to land or soil to supplement rainfall, ensuring crops receive adequate moisture for optimal growth, higher yields, and stable production.

Surface irrigation

Water flows over the soil surface by gravity.

Sprinkler irrigation

Water is sprayed into the air via pipes and nozzles, mimicking rain.

Drip irrigation

Water is delivered slowly directly to the root zone through emitters.

Water quality

Refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage.

Water treatment

Any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use.

Drinking water

Also called potable water; water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation.

Resource efficiency

Producing the same or greater value using fewer natural resources such as materials, energy, and water while minimizing waste and environmental impact.

Animal welfare

The physical and mental wellbeing of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.

Crop productivity

The measure of how agricultural output (such as grain, vegetables, or fruit) is produced per unit of land or per unit of input, reflecting the efficiency of converting resources into harvestable crops.

Energy conservation

Either reducing unnecessary energy use in daily life or, in physics, the principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only transformed.

Environmental sustainability

The responsible use and protection of natural resources to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, emphasizing ecosystem health, reduced pollution, and long-term ecological balance.

Solar radiation

The electromagnetic energy emitted by the Sun, primarily infrared (49%), visible (43%), and ultraviolet (7%), that reaches Earth and drives climate, photosynthesis, and solar energy technologies.

Wind

A natural movement of air of any velocity; the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion.

Precipitation

Water that falls from the clouds towards the ground, especially as rain.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

A colorless gas having a faint sharp odor and sour taste; formed in the combustion of carbon-containing materials, in fermentation, and in respiration of animals, and employed by plants in the photosynthesis of carbohydrates.

Heat stress

In animals, occurs when the animal's ability to dissipate heat is insufficient to maintain thermal equilibrium, leading to a rise in core body temperature and physiological strain.

Homeostasis

The autoregulation of a biological system that maintains equilibrium.

Physiological adaptation

An internal biochemical, metabolic, or functional adjustment that helps an organism maintain stability (homeostasis) and survive environmental changes.

Livestock

Domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting mainly to provide labor and produce diversified animal products for human consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool.

Environmental control engineering

Focuses on designing, implementing, and managing systems that regulate environmental factors such as air quality, ventilation, and pollution control.

Air temperature sensor

Sensor that measures ambient air temperature using a thermistor or thermocouple, with accuracy up to +-0.1 degree Celsius.

Humidity sensor (hygrometer)

Sensor that uses capacitive or resistive elements to detect moisture content, dew point, and humidity.

Barometric pressure sensor (barometer)

Sensor that measures atmospheric pressure via piezoelectric or capacitive methods.

Anemometer

Sensor that records wind speed using rotating cups or ultrasonic technology.

Wind vane (wind direction sensor)

Sensor that uses a mechanical vane with an encoder or magnetic detection to determine wind direction.

Pyranometer (solar radiation sensor)

Sensor that measures incoming solar energy, useful for climate studies, agriculture, and renewable energy assessment.

Rain gauge

Sensor that detects precipitation amount and rate, often via tipping bucket or optical methods.

Soil moisture sensor

Sensor that monitors moisture content in soil, important for agriculture and hydrology.

Light sensor (lux / light intensity sensor)

Sensor that measures ambient light levels, supporting photoperiod studies and environmental monitoring.

Gas sensor (e.g., CO2 sensor)

Sensor that detects atmospheric gas concentrations, often integrated into climate and air quality monitoring.

53.6 °F

Convert 12 °C to Fahrenheit.

59 °F

Convert 15 °C to Fahrenheit.

64.4 °F

Convert 18 °C to Fahrenheit.

73.4 °F

Convert 23 °C to Fahrenheit.

75.2 °F

Convert 24 °C to Fahrenheit.

95 °F

Convert 35 °C to Fahrenheit.

86 °F

Convert 30 °C to Fahrenheit.

107.6 °F

Convert 42 °C to Fahrenheit.

104 °F

Convert 40 °C to Fahrenheit.

118.4 °F

Convert 48 °C to Fahrenheit.

44.58 °C

Convert 112.25 °F to Celsius.

46.61 °C

Convert 115.9 °F to Celsius.

82.8 °C

Convert 181.04 °F to Celsius.

100.68 °C

Convert 213.22 °F to Celsius.

101.56 °C

Convert 214.8 °F to Celsius.

157.36 °C

Convert 315.24 °F to Celsius.

154.99 °C

Convert 310.98 °F to Celsius.

211.23 °C

Convert 412.21 °F to Celsius.

210.03 °C

Convert 410.05 °F to Celsius.

64.6 °C

Convert 148.28 °F to Celsius.

Microcontroller GND (ground)

DHT11 – G pin is connected to:

Not connected (NC – leave empty)

DHT11 – N pin is connected to:

Microcontroller digital pin (e.g., Arduino D2)

DHT11 – D (data) pin is connected to:

Microcontroller 5V (or 3.3V)

DHT11 – V (VCC) pin is connected to:

Microcontroller GND

I2C LCD – GND pin is connected to:

Microcontroller 5V

I2C LCD – VCC pin is connected to:

Arduino Uno A4 (SDA)

I2C LCD – SDA pin is connected to:

Arduino Uno A5 (SCL)

I2C LCD – SCL pin is connected to:

Colder

A steel rod feels ___ than a wooden rod at room temperature simply because steel is better at conducting heat away from the skin.

Heat

Energy that is transferred from one body to another as the result of a temperature difference.

Calorie

Was defined as the amount of heat required at a pressure of 1 standard atmosphere to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Humidity (amount)

In general, the amount of water vapor (or moisture) held by the air at a given place and time.

Ammonia (NH3)

A pungent, colorless, gaseous, alkaline compound of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3) that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed to a liquid by cold and pressure.

Particle concentration

Refers to the number of particles, by mass or number, present per unit volume of air or liquid, typically expressed as µg/cm3 for number concentration.

Dew point

The temperature that air, of a constant absolute humidity and pressure, must be cooled to for the relative humidity to rise to 100%.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy.

Respiration

The energy-supplying and releasing process in all living organisms by converting food energy into metabolically usable forms of chemical energy.

Transpiration

The evaporation of water from plants.

Stomatal regulation

The process by which plants control the opening and closing of microscopic pores on their leaves to balance carbon dioxide intake for photosynthesis with water loss through transpiration.

Phototropism

The growth of an organism in response to a light stimulus.