Chapter 9 - Soil and Agriculature Flashcards
no-till
agriculture that does not involve tilling (plowing, digging, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil. the most intense form of conservation fatique
cover crops
a crop that covers and anchors the soil during times between main crops, intended to reduce erosion
agriculture
the practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for human use and consumption
cropland
land that people use for raising plants for food and fiber
rangland
land used for grazing livestock
sustainable agriculture
agriculture that can be practiced in the same way and in the same place far into the future. sustainable agriculture does not deplete soils nor reduce the clean water and genetic diversity essential to long-term crop and livestock production
substance agriculture
the oldest form of traditional agriculture in which farming families produce only enough food for themselves
industrial agriculture
a form of agriculture that uses large-scale mechanization and fossil fuel combustion, enabling farmers to replace horses and oxen with more powerful means of cultivating, harvesting, transporting, and processing crops. other aspects include irrigation and the use of inorganic fertilizers, the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides reduce competition from weeds and herbivory by insects
traditional agriculture
biologically powered agriculture in which human and animal muscle power, along side with hand tools and simple machines, perform the work of cultivating, harvesting, storing, and distributing crops
monocultures
the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area
polyculture
the planting of multiple crops in a mixed arrangement or in close proximity. an example is some traditional native american farming that mixed maize, beans, squash, and peppers
parent material
the base geological material in a particular area
bedrock
the continuous mass of solid rock that makes up earth’s crust
weathering
the process by which rocks are broken down, turning large particles into smaller particles. weathering may proceed by physical, chemical, or biological means
humus
a dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material made up of complex organic compounds, resulting from the partial decomposition of organic matter
horizon
a distinct layer of soil
soil profile
the cross-section of a soil as a whole, from the surface to the bedrock
leaching
the process by which solid materials such as minerals are dissolved in a liquid (usually water) and transported to another location
irrigation
the artificial provision of water to support agriculture
waterlogging
the saturation of soil by water, in which water table is raised to the point that water bathes plant roots. Waterlogging deprives roots of access to gases, essentially suffocating them and eventually damaging or killing the plants
salinization
the buildup of salts in surface soil layers
fertilizer
a substance that promotes plant growth by supplying essential nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus
organic fertilizer
a fertilizer made up of natural materials (largely the remains or wastes of organisms), including animal manure; crop residues, fresh vegetation, and compost
compost
a mixture produced when decomposers break down organic matter, such as food and crop waste, in a controlled environment
conservation reserve program
U.S. policy in farm bills since 1985 that pays farmers to stop cultivating highly erodible cropland and instead place it in conservation reserves planted with grasses and trees
