Unit 5A - Agriculture Flashcards

1
Q

Agriculture

A

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth’s surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

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2
Q

Aquifer

A

An area of underground permeable rock that stores groundwater.

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3
Q

Arable

A

Land hat is suitable for growing crops.

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4
Q

Bycatch

A

The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing.

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5
Q

CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)

A

Area where livestock are raised in very high densities.

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6
Q

Contour plowing

A

An agricultural technique in which plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land to minimize soil erosion.

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7
Q

Cover crops

A

Plants, such as rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest of the main food crops to minimize soil erosion.

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8
Q

Drip irrigation

A

An efficient method of supplying water to crops using tubes that drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant.

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9
Q

Fallow

A

Inactive and unproductive land.

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10
Q

Fertilizer

A

A substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.

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11
Q

Flood irrigation

A

An efficient method of distributing water to crops using canals to allow water to flow over the whole field.

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12
Q

Furrow irrigation

A

Moderately efficient method of supplying water to crops by digging trenches to allow the water to flow through.

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13
Q

GMO crops

A

Crops which have had the genes of another organism inserted into them to enhance certain positive trait

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14
Q

Green revolution

A

Period of agricultural advancement that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, and mechanization.

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15
Q

Groundwater

A

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

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16
Q

Intercropping

A

An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time.

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17
Q

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

A

An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques to control pests and minimize the use of chemical pesticides.

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18
Q

Monoculture

A

Agricultural practice of growing a single crop species over a large area of land.

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19
Q

No-till agriculture

A

An agricultural method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons, used as a means of reducing erosion.

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20
Q

Overgrazing

A

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area at a rate faster than they can recover

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21
Q

Perennial crops

A

Plants that do not die at the end of the growing season but live for several years, which means they can be harvested annually without replanting.

22
Q

Pesticide treadmill

A

The process through which a farmer uses more pesticides, with increasing costs, as the effectiveness of pesticides decreases due to resistance.

23
Q

Pesticides

A

Chemicals that kill crop-destroying organisms

24
Q

Saltwater intrusion

A

Movement of salt water into freshwater aquifers in coastal areas when groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation.

25
Q

Slash-and-burn agriculture

A

A farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear the land for growing crops.

26
Q

Soil salinization

A

Salt buildup in the soil from evaporation of irrigation water.

27
Q

Spray irrigation

A

An moderately efficient method of supplying water to crops using large overhead sprayers.

28
Q

Strip cropping

A

cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips to prevent soil erosion.

29
Q

Subsistence farming

A

Producing just enough food to meet the needs of your family.

30
Q

Terracing

A

Carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides and mountain slops to use for farming.

31
Q

Soil tilling

A

The turning over of soil before planting crops.

32
Q

Waterlogging

A

Degradation of the soil that occurs when soil remains underwater for prolonged periods.

33
Q

Windbreaks

A

Rows of large trees or bushes planted between fields to help block the wind and prevent soil erosion.

34
Q

Aquaculture

A

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

35
Q

Biocontrol

A

Use of one kind of organism that is a predator or parasite of a pest species in order to reduce or eliminate populations of the pest.

36
Q

CCD (colony collapse disorder)

A

A condition in a beehive where the worker bees die causing the colony to stop functioning

37
Q

Cone of depression

A

lowering of the water table around a pumping well

38
Q

Crop rotation

A

the system of growing a different crop in a field each year to preserve the fertility of the land

39
Q

CSA (community supporting agriculture)

A

Program in which people buy shares of a local farmer’s crop and receive fruits or vegetables each week during the summer and fall.

40
Q

Feedlots

A

Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing; often referred to as factory farms.

41
Q

Fishery

A

a commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region

42
Q

Green Manure

A

Freshly cut or still-growing green vegetation that is plowed into the soil to increase the organic matter and humus available to support crop growth.

43
Q

Groundwater recharge

A

A process by which water percolates through the soil and works its way into an aquifer.

44
Q

HYV (high yield variant) crops

A

Crops such as Rockefeller Rice which have been selectively bred to produce more food per hectare.

45
Q

Manure lagoon

A

Human-made pond lined with rubber built to handle large quantities of manure produced by livestock.

46
Q

POPs (persistent organic pollutants)

A

Long-lived carbon-based compounds such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial compounds (ex BPA, PCBs, PBDEs)

47
Q

Synthetic fertilizer

A

Produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels. Also known as inorganic fertilizers.

48
Q

Trawling

A

type of fishing done with net dragged across bottom the of the sea

49
Q

USDA Organic

A

a certification for products that contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). Any remaining product ingredients must consist of approved non-agricultural substances (as listed by USDA) or non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form.

50
Q

Desertification

A

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.