APES Unit 4A

percolation

Percolation is the process of a liquid slowly passing through a filter. It's how coffee is usually made. Percolation comes from the Latin word percolare, which means "to strain through." Percolation happens when liquid is strained through a filter, like when someone makes coffee.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA, 1947)

Regulates manufacture and use of pesticides; pesticides must be registered, approved, and labeled

Food Desert

an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.

Malnutrition

lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat.

waterlogging

excessive irrigation, poor drainage or ocean encroachment)

demand based farming

production determined by economic demand

natural organic pesticides

pyrethrum from chrysanthemums

crop rotation

replenishes soil nutrients Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different types of crops in the same area in sequenced seasons. It is done so that the soil of farms is not used for only one set of nutrients.

sprinkler irrigation

water is sprayed over the soil surfaces through pipes or nozzles from a pressure system.

genetically modified organism

when DNA is combined in ways to augment certain characteristics in a species' natural growth

deforestation

*Short term gains in food production vs. long term potentially disastrous effects on wildlife, ecosystems, and long term human sustainability; *slash & burn, wood products, farming & urbanization, conversion to croplands *-->loss of biodiversity, devastates ecosystems, can destroy human populations, longterm global ramifications

biological (pest) control

*a set of methods to control pest organisms by using natural ecological interactions *use of predators, parasites and competitors for pest control

Main Soil Types

1. coarse-grained soil (sands and gravels) 2. fine-grained soil (silts and clays) 3. highly organic soils-"peat" (loamy)

Aldicarb Groundwater Contamination

Aldicarb is a carbamate pesticide used to control the Colorado potato beetle and golden nematode. Aldicarb was used on eastern Long Island, New York, from 1975 to 1979. To date, 1400 wells are still contaminated above state health guidelines although it was banned from use in 1979

Food Quality Protection Act (1996)

Allows the EPA to set limits on combined pesticide exposures. Also stated that by 2006 the EPA had to reassess allowable pesticide levels on food and include a safety factor of 10 where complete information was not available on pesticide levels affecting children

aquaculture

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other aquatic organisms. Wikipedia

Golden Rice

Biotechnological splice of three different genes into rice. The genes contain two from the daffodil and one from a bacterium which result in the ability to synthesize vitamin A.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Deforestation ultimately leading to demise of society

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA, 1906)

EPA sets tolerance levels for the amount or toxic residues that may lawfully remain on food, drug, and cosmetic products marketed in the United States; Delaney Amendment (1958) requires absolute lack of hazard for food and drugs, further amended (1996) to define "acceptable risk" as one case of cancer in a million exposures

Soil Conservation Act (1935)

Established the Soil Conservation Service in the wake of the "dust bowl."

Intercropping

Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice involving growing two or more crops in proximity. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources or ecological processes that would otherwise not be utilized by a single crop

feeding america

Leaching, defined as the process of dissolving, washing, or draining earth materials by percolation of groundwater or other liquids, occurs in the A horizon and moves clay and other materials, such as iron and calcium, to the B horizon. Abiotic- The nonliving components of an ecosystem.

Mass Killings of Birds (1972)

Principles include pesticide use, broadspectrum pesticides

Decline of Migrating Atlantic Salmon

Principles include pesticide use, broadspectrum pesticides, 4nonylphenol (strong hormone disruptor)

forage crops

While the term forage has a broad definition, the term forage crop is used to define crops, annual or biennial, which are grown to be utilized by grazing or harvesting as a whole crop.

ditch irrigation

a ditch to supply dry land with water artificially

agricultural limiting factor

a single requirement for growth that is in the least supply compared to the need of the crop

arable

adjective 1. (of land) used or suitable for growing crops. noun 1. arable land or crops.

inorganic pesticides

arsenic, copper, mercury, lead—highly toxic and persistant

Rock Composition

clay, silt, sand, gravel, humus, loam, soil fauna, *soil horizons (O, A, E, B, C, R), properties of each horizon, general layers (top layer or litter layer, topsoil, subsoil, bedrock).

organophosphates

effective neurotoxins, but not persistent

Relationship between Farming and Ecological Succession

farming keeps the land in an early successional stage

mariculture

farming of foods in marine and freshwater habitats

salinization

from using brackish/salty water Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the gradual withdrawal of an ocean.

Signs of Erosion

mud and silt on sidewalks and driveways after rain, exposed tree roots, roadside ditches filled with sediment, muddy water in a stream or river, cavedin stream banks

illuviation

the introduction of salts or colloids into one soil horizon from another by percolating water.

deposition

the presence of chemicals in the atmosphere in concentrations high enough to harm organisms, ecosystems, or human-made materials. the force, or mass, per unit area of a column of air.

surge flow

*a water-saving irrigation method

drip irrigation

*a water-saving irrigation method *water gets directly to plant roots instead of being sprayed in the air all over the field Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface.

no-till agriculture

*an agricultural practice in which the land is not plowed in most of the years

Increase Crop Yields

*application of artificial fertilizer *new high-yield crop strains *improved irrigation techniques *hydroponics *non-renewable resources: soil, chemical fertilizer, fuel for farm machinery

Issues with Irrigation

*evaporation *runoff *salinization of land

desertification

*failure to use contour plowing *lowering of the water table *increased salt content of the soil *increased soil erosion *loss of natural vegetation *can be prevented through soil conservation, proper irrigation practices and good farming and foresting practices appropriate to the climate and soil

Integrated Pest Management

*flexible and different application methods to kill insects and weeds using both chemical and nonchemical, hormone/pheromone use to attract bugs away from crops, sterile breeding partners, vacuuming adult bugs, trap crops, natural predator introduction, crop rotation, reduction of pesticide exposure to workers, natural repellents, attracting traps, live traps, physical removal, polyculture, intercropping, pestrepellant crops, mulch to control weeds, Bt or other naturally occurring organisms, insect resistant GMO's, etc. *considers effects of the pest-control method on the entire ecosystem

traditional subsistence agriculture

*food only for grower - 65% of global population, began about 10,000 years ago

Green Revolution

*higher crop yields through monocultures, dwarf rice strain e, greater dependence on expensive seeds and higher dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, better irrigation techniques, use of GMO's *1st: Post Industrial Revolution (1950 to 1970), peak in 1950's *1st: crop acreage increased 25%, however and crop yields increased 200% *2nd: 1970's - today *2nd: GMO's; pesticide treadmill (increased use of pesticide to get the job done); monocultures; desertification; large capital investment and expenditures indebted farmers who subsequently went bankrupt and lost their land; increased use of pesticides

monoculture

*large areas are planted with a single species *makes the entire crop vulnerable to attack by a single disease or a single change in environmental conditions *can be counteracted by crop rotation or to a certain extent by artificial fertilizers

Bangladesh Famine of 1974

*mass starvation March-Dec. 1974 *caused by massive flooding along the Brahmaputra river

contour plowing

*minimizes/eliminates desertification *single most effective method to reduce soil erosion *reduces top soil erosion *is more fuel efficient *is more time efficient Contour plowing was a method of plowing furrows that follow the curves of the land rather than straight up and down slopes. Furrows that run up and down a slope form a channel that can quickly carry away seeds and topsoil. Contour plowing forms ridges, slows the water flow and helps save precious topsoil.

organic farming

*more like natural ecosystems than monocultures *minimizes negative environmental impacts *the food that results from it doesn't contain artificial compounds

biomagnification

*not a factor in influencing soil type

mulching

*not a water-saving irrigation method

Loss of Soil Fertility

*the time required for the soil to lose 1/2 of its original storage of chemical nutrients

resource based farming

*typically a family farm *produce as much as possible with resources available

modern agriculture

*typified by the growing of monocultures, large scale, uses of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, purchased seeds, heavy fossil fuel use, etc. *also known as industrial, industrial monoculture, conventional, demand based or agribusiness *can deplete the fertility of crop land and pasture land through overgrazing, plowing, soil erosion and salinization

flood irrigation

*water is applied and distributed over the soil surface by gravity *most common form of irrigation

land degradation

Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.

The Dust Bowl (1930's)

Oklahoma, Kansas & part of Texas. Poor farming practices lead to soil erosion and loss of farmland. The removal of vegetation, including grasses, trees, shrubs, and plants, exposed the soil to wind and water. Drought set in along with the stock market crash of 1929 leading to the environmental, agricultural and economic catastrophe known as the "Dust Bowl

Colony Collapse Disorder

Recent evidence points to a pesticide (neonicotinoids) that are disrupting the honeybee's ability to navigate properly.

Slash and Burn Agriculture

Slash-and-burn agriculture, or fire-fallow cultivation, is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden

Strip Cropping

Strip cropping is a method of farming which involves cultivating a field partitioned into long, narrow strips which are alternated in a crop rotation system. It is used when a slope is too steep or when there is no alternative method of preventing soil erosion.

Terracing

Terrace farming is a type of farming that consists of different "steps" or terraces that were developed in various places around the world. The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (hills and mountains) is a World Heritage Site. It dates back two thousand years.

Micronutrient

a chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and development of living organisms.

Macronutrient

a substance required in relatively large amounts by living organisms, in particular. a type of food (e.g., fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the human diet. a chemical element (e.g., potassium, magnesium, calcium) required in large amounts for plant growth and development.

carbamates

also known as urethanes, behave much like organophosphates in that they affect the nervous system but are more water soluble than chlorinated hydrocarbons which make groundwater contaminations more likely

Costs and Benefits of Pesticide Use

bioaccumulation, *biomagnification, broad spectrum vs. narrow range, toxicity to nontarget species (honeybees), acute (nerve problems, vomiting, bleeding, or death) or chronic (drop in immunity, cancer, birth defects, other diseases) human exposure issues, *pest resurgence & evolution of pesticide resistance issues; specific pests, effects on human health or agriculture, & alternative control methods (gypsy moth, fire ant, aphid, purple loosestrife, kudzu, etc.).

chlorinated hydrocarbons

block nerve membrane ion transport and nerve signal, tend to bioaccumulate and biomagnify, specific examples *Lindane

plantation farming

cash crops in the tropics like bananas, coffee, or vegetables grown for export. Plantation Farming was a system of agriculture in which large farms in the American colonies used the enforced labor of slaves to plant and harvest cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco and other farm produce for trade and export.

Causes of Erosion

farming, logging, mining, construction, overgrazing by livestock, & burning of forests)

Overgrazing

graze (grassland) so heavily that the vegetation is damaged and the ground becomes liable to erosion.

Undernourished

having insufficient food or other substances for good health and condition.

Rock Fromation

mechanical/physical weathering (boulderspebblessandsiltdust), joints, frost wedging, salt wedging, unloading, chemical weathering (oxidation, hydrolysis, acid action), biological weathering (both physical & chemical combination), soil formation time, leaching, role of life (biota) on soil (e.g. worms)

Physical & Chemical Properties of Rocks

particle size (claysmallest, silt, sandlargest), mineral content, macronutrients, micronutrients, acidity, alkalinity, soil testing (pH, salinity, organic content, ion exchange capacity, major elements P, S, N, etc., trace elements, Fe, Co, B, Ca, Mg, Mn, Se, Al, Hg, etc., soil composition, *waterholding capacity, moisture content, particle density, soil structure, percolation rate, soil compaction, soil profile analysis, color, humus content)

Organic Food Production Act (1990)

the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 authorizes a National Organic Program (NOP) to be administered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The program will be based on federal regulations that define standard organic farming practices and on a National List of acceptable organic production inputs.

sustainable agriculture

three main goals (environmental health, economic profitability, social and economic equity), strategies take into account topography, soil characteristics, climate, pests, local availability of inputs, and the individual grower's goals; general categories include efficient use of inputs, selection of site, species and variety, soil management, and species diversity; natural pesticide use (advantages & disadvantages), natural fertilizer use, soil conservation (crop rotation, contour plowing, terracing, shelterbelts, no till or low till agriculture, intercropping/strip cropping, polyculture)

Soil conservation

topography influence, arable, notill or lowtill farming practices, plant trees as wind breaks, contour plowing or hill terracing, monitor soil nutrients, strip farming, mulch