Conventional and Organic Agriculture II Flashcards
How are the chemical limits for product se determined?
hey determine a maximum limit of safe pesticide residues that is much lower than the concentration that would cause damage to human health
How much residue does organic food have?
one-third as many pesticide residues as conventional foods.
Do conventional pesticide residues cause health problems?
They do not at the right concentrations
What is the dirty dozen?
A list is compiled every year by the Environmental Working Group to rank 48 fruits and vegetables for the relative concentration of pesticide residues.
-simply detecting residues on food does not determine the safety of the food
What is the loss of bees due to?
Monoculture (few wild flowers = low diversity of food sources)
Pesticides (some may weaken health)
Urbanization (few wild flowers and habitat)
Parasites, predators, and diseases (weaken health)
What happens to bees when they have difficulty accessing food?
They become weakened
They are then more likely to succumb to the harm caused by disease and pesticides
What is the pesticide toxic to bees?
neonicotinoids
-the level that bees are exposed to in the field is commonly acceptable for them to stay healthy
What dont plants grow from that is pure?
Compost (can improve soil properties) or fertilizer
How do plants grow?
their roots absorb vitamins and minerals in the most basic form of chemical elements.
-Plants then use the elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to build the structures that make up their tissues.
Whats the difference in nutritional quality between conventional and organic?
There is no difference in nutritional quality of organic and conventional food.
What are the slight differences between organic and conventional foods are caused by?
Quantity of fertilizer that varies by farm manager
Environment that varies by farm field
Weather that varies by farm field
Genetics of the plants
Does organic taste better?
Individuals believe that organic tastes better but in blind taste tests they cannot identify the difference
How are pesticides distributed?
Pesticides are sprayed in open environments, so the chemicals undoubtedly reach the soil and water.
- Pesticides are toxic to the organisms they are targeting, so they must also be evaluated for their toxicity to humans, animals, birds, fish and other organisms.
How does toxicity work?
Toxicity depends on how the chemical is toxic to an organism – in other words, the ‘mechanism of action’
What is genetic enegineering?
Genetic engineering (also known as genetically modified organisms and biotechnology) is a new technology where precise and useful changes are made to the genes of an organism
