L23: Cropping System Flashcards
3 principles of conservation agriculture
minimum mechanical soil disturbance
permanent soil organic cover
species diversification
what is required for organic agriculture
certification and production with no GMOs, no synthetic fertilizer, and no pesticides
how many organic certification bodies are there in canada
over 30
there are ______ acres of organic ag in the prairies in 2019
1.7M
how much has organic production profits increased from 2017 to 2020
$5.4 billion in 2017 to $7 billion in 2020
marketing in organic ag
premiums and often direct to consumers (CSA)
biological controls in organic ag
natural predators and parasitoids; certain products certified for disease and pest control (Bt protein, sulfur)
fertilization in organic ag
legumes (green manures, cover crops); natural rock phosphate products; composts
what do tillage and crop rotation do in organic ag
help with insect and disease management
what is regenerative ag
doesn’t really have a label or definition. is basically a holistic approach to farming that encourages continuous innovation and improvement of the environmental, social, and economic measures
factors included in regenerative organic certification
measures for the soil health, animal welfare, and treatment of farm workers
types of intercropping
relay intercropping
strip intercropping
row intercropping
mixed intercropping
benefits of intercropping
better radiation use efficiency
legume N fixation
decrease foliar disease pressure
benefit pollinators
disadvantages of intercropping
mixed grain needs to be sorted
synchronized maturity times can be challenging
possible competition between crops
cover crops
semi-permanent cover, shoulder crop, or fallow replacement that can be sole species or mixtures
what are some benefits of cover crops
erosion control: water runoff and wind
resource use efficiency
agroforestry systems
land use systems and technologies where perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land management unit as agricultural crops or animals, in some forms of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence
benefits of agroforestry systems
erosion control
nitrogen fixation
carbon sequestration
firewood
increased biodiversity
example of agroforestry system
shelter belts
benefits of shelter belts
erosion control
carbon sequestration
preventing salinity issues
aesthetic value
biodiversity
permaculture
concept of permanent agriculture that includes green home building, landscape design, minimalism, and green gardening
principles for system resiliency in permaculture
each important function is supported by many elements
each element performs many functions
use biological resources over non-renewable
relative location that allows elements to support each other
agroecology
farming that centers on food production that makes use of nature’s goods and services while not damaging these resources
