Unit 5 Flashcards
Soil
A complex mixture of rock pieces, particles, mineral nutrients, decaying organic matter, water, air, and living organisms that support plant life
Sand
A granular substance resulting from the disintegration of siliceous rocks
Largest inorganic soil particle
Food security
The condition under which people have access to enough safe and nutritious food for a healthy and active lifestyle
Chronic malnutrition
A condition in which people do not get enough protein, key vitamins, and minerals
Pasture
One of the systems which provide the world’s food alongside croplands and aquaculture
Produces meat and meat products
Also called feedlots, rangelands
Irrigation
A mix of methods by which water is supplied to crops by artificial means
Monoculture
The practice of growing a single crop at a time on a plot of land
Subsistence agriculture
Combines energy from the sun with the labor of humans and draft animals to produce enough crops for a farm family’s survival
Slash-and-burn agriculture
A type of polyculture which involves burning and clearing small plots in tropical forests, growing a variety of crops for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients, and the shifting to other plots to repeat the process
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Organisms created with genetic engineering through the process of gene splicing, which can add, delete, or change segments of an organism’s DNA
Soil pollution
Pollution of soil by chemicals emitted by industrial and power plants and motor vehicles
Waterlogging
A problem with irrigation in which water accumulates underground and gradually raises the water table
Results in plants drowning/suffocating
Soil conservation
Involves using a variety of methods to reduce topsoil erosion and restore soil fertility, mostly by keeping the land covered with vegetation
Green manure
A fertilizer consisting of freshly cut or growing green vegetation that is plowed into the topsoil to increase the organic matter and humus available to the next crop
Weathering
Biological processes which break down bedrock into smaller pieces
Silt
- The middle-sized inorganic soil particle
- 0.002-0.05 mm diameter
Food insecurity
The condition under which people are living with chronic hunger and poor nutrition that threaten their ability to lead healthy and active lifestyles
Overnutrition
Occurs when food energy intake exceeds energy use and causes excess body fat
Feedlots
One of the systems which provide the world’s food alongside croplands and aquaculture
Produces meat and meat products
Also called pastures, rangelands
Synthetic fertilizers
Manufactured chemicals that contain nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium
Yield
The amount of food produced per unit of land
Polyculture
The practice of growing several crops on the same plot
Green revolution
- A period that saw a drastic increase in yield due to increased mechanization, better irrigation methods, synthetic fertilizers, monocropping, pesticides, and GMOs
- A process used to produce a higher crop yield
