Irrigation, GMOs, and VOCAB Flashcards
What is irrigation?
Any means used by humans to bring water to the land
What percent of the land is irrigated?
50%
What is the description of flood irrigation and the advantages and disadvantages of it?
Description: Flood entire field with water and soak the soil evenly
Advantages: 80% efficient and cheap
Disadvantages: Higher chance of waterlogging.
What is the description of furrow irrigation and the advantages and disadvantages of it?
Description: Trenches are dug along crop rows, water is filled into the trench and then seeps in
Advantages: Control of water, relatively cheap, and relatively easy
Disadvantages: 65% efficient
What is the description of drip irrigation and the advantages and disadvantages of it?
Description: A slow drip hose is placed on or near the ground that delivers water to plant roots
Advantages: 95% effective, works very well with perennial crops, and less maintenance
Disadvantages: very expensive, and limited number of farms use it.
What is the description of spray irrigation and the advantages and disadvantages of it?
Description: Water is pumped into an apparatus with a spray nozzle (sprinkler)
Advantages: 75-95% effective
Disadvantages: Very expensive and uses a lot of energy
What are at least three major issues with irrigation?
Waterlogging, salinization, and aquifer depletion
Aquifer definition
Underground reservoir; porous and permeable, stores ground water
Unconfined aquifer definition
Underground reservoir covered by soil; easier to collect rainwater
Confined aquifer definition
Aquifer surrounded by impermeable rock; at risk for depletion
Water table definition
Upper most level at which groundwater in a given area saturates rock/soil
Groundwater recharge definition
Process by which water from precipitation percolates into the soil
Springs definition
Natural source of water from a natural source
Artesian well definition
well created by drilling into a confined aquifer to retrieve water
Salt water intrusion definition
Saltwater invades a freshwater aquifer
Water footprint definition
Total daily per capita use of freshwater for a country
How do you find the per capita annual water use per person?
total annual water use/population of country
What are GMOs and how are they made?
GMOs are genetically modified organisms. They are made by transferring a gene of one organisms into the genetic material of another.
What are the possible benefits of GMOs?
Higher crop yields, better food quality, higher profits, good for agribusiness and consumers, less pesticide usage, lower world hunger
What ate some possible consequences of GMOs?
Safety for human consumption and loss of biodiversity
What are buffer zones?
A ring of plain soil spread around GMO crops to prevent altered genes spreading to other plants.
What are some regulations with GMOs?
The USDA passed a law in 2022 requiring disclosure of GMOs in foods and European nations are more stringent on GMOs in food (France, Germany, and Italy allow almost no GMOs)
