EXSC 2122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Soil Health, Tillage, Crop Protection
6 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Smaller producers: many are diversified (multiple types of plants and animals, tend to require more human labor, often has problems accessing food supply chains, typically, smaller yields, resulting food products tend to be more expensive. Refers to a disappearing sector of mid-scale farms, ranches, and related food producers that are unable to successfully market bulk commodities or sell food directly to consumers. Issues in plant food production: commodities vs. specialty crops, conventional vs. organic production. Industrial, large scale production vs. local, small scale production. Soil health: nutritional content of crops grown under different production methods. Pesticide/herbicide exposures: genetically modified organisms, environmental protection. Functions of soil biota: maintenance of soil structure, regulation of soil hydrological processes, gas exchanges and carbon sequestration. Soil detoxification: nutrient cycling, decomposition of organic matter. Symbiotic and symbiotic relationships with plants and their roots. Threats to soil health: erosion by water, wind, over use leading to nutrient depletion, chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, etc. )
