Field Crops Exam 1

What are the three acts enacted to support the land-grant mission? Specify each Act, the date of enactment, and what was important.

(1862)- The Morrill Act- 11 million acres of federal land was distributed to universities with the "land grant" designation (Teaching) (1887)- HATCH Act- Provided funding for establishing Agricultural experiment stations along with land grant universities (Research) (1914)- Smith-Lever Act- federal funding in the form of grants for Cooperative extension services (Education)

List 3 Land Grant Universities that were established in 1862 and 3 established in 1890.

1862- University of Georgia, University of Arkansas, University of Texas A&M, University of Illinois, University of Florida 1890- Alcorn State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Tennessee State University, Fort Valley State University, and KY State University 1994- Navajo Technical College, NW Indian College, Stone Child College, Blackfeet Comm. College, and Fort Berthold Comm. College

What is agronomy? What two Greek words is the term derived?

Agros= Field Nomos= to manage

Describe Liebig's Law of the Minimum as it relates to crop yield.

Cannot outperform its lowest nutrient available (Barrell Photo in Notes)

List three centers of origins of crop plants with one example from each.

China -Soybean and barley India - Hemp and banana Central Asia - Cotton and mustard Ethiopia - flaxseed and millet

Who is Nikolai Vavilov?

Collected germplasm, first seed bank, centers of origins

In my opinion, what are some trends and issues (4) for agriculture in the future. Side note- I left out climate, we all can agree that weather is an issue or blessing.

Increasing population -The population shows signs of stabilizing at about 9 billion by 2050 Rising affluence developing countries -Increased demand for higher quality food products (meat instead of beans for example) -Requires increased production. Housing and subdividing farmland Communication - lack of scientific understanding of agriculture/crop production in the non-agricultural population

What are 5 crop yield limiting factors?

Pests- insects, weeds, disease Precipitation Planting Date Variety Light Wind Air Temperature

What institution is coined as the first to conduct agricultural research? What was the institute's first research focus?

Rothamsted Research, England The first research focus was on fertilizer use. More specifically, the use of ammonium salts on cabbage showed that ammonium phosphate gave the greatest yield, showing the importance of phosphorus in plant nutrition.

What are the top 5 crops for Tennessee by value?

Soybeans, Corn, Cotton, Wheat, and Tobacco (In order)

What is the Land Grant mission/pillars?

Teaching, Research and Extension

What are some techniques that farmers use to combat limiting factors associated with rain, temperature, and disease?

Time of planting Scouting Soil Testing IPM Tactics Variety selection

Describe how precipitation for a growing season is not always the best parameter to relate to yield. (does timeliness of rainfall matter?)

Yes, timeliness can matter. For example, you would want constant rain over the growing season rather than a bunch at once. Some crops may need rain at a certain point during the growing season.

Field Crops

are grown on larger acreage, highly mechanized, lower value per unit (bushel/lb/etc.), and often benefit from economy of scale -Corn, cotton, wheat, soybean, rice, sorghum, etc.

Horticultural Crops

are often produced on less acreage, high value per unit, and generally less mechanized -Ornamentals, vegetables, and fruits

Specialty Crops

include most horticulture crops, including ornamental, produced for food, medicinal uses, and aesthetics. -Per USDA - "Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops.

What is an essential element as related to plant nutrition?

•An element is considered essential to plant growth and development if: -the element is directly involved in the nutrition of the plant -a deficiency makes it impossible for the plant to complete its life cycle -a deficiency is specific to the element and can only be prevented or corrected by supplying the element