Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Liebig's law has been extended to biological populations (and is commonly used in ecosystem modelling).For example, the growth of an organism such as a plant may be dependent on a number of different factors, such as sunlight or mineral nutrients (e.g., nitrate or phosphate).
Polyculture is the growing of multiple crops together in the same place at the same time. It has traditionally been the most prevalent form of agriculture. [1] Regions where polycultures form a substantial part of agriculture include the Himalayas, Eastern Asia, South America, and Africa. [2]
In an opportunity cropping system, crops are grown when soil water is adequate and there is a reliable sowing window. This form of cropping system is likely to produce better soil cover than a rigid crop rotation because crops are only sown under optimal conditions, whereas rigid systems are not necessarily sown in the best conditions available ...
Greenhouses allow for greater crop production and also use less water since they are closed systems. [84] Desalination techniques can turn salt water into fresh water which allows greater access to water for areas with a limited supply. [85] This allows the irrigation of crops without decreasing natural fresh water sources. [86]
Agricultural monocultures refer to the practice of planting one crop species in a field. [15] Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming.In crop monocultures, each plant in a field has the same standardized planting, maintenance, and harvesting requirements resulting in greater yields and lower costs.
The overproduction for low prices drives many small farms out of business, as many small farms cannot compete with government-subsidized agricultural productions. This ironically, as Pollan argues, leads to "food deserts" in which farmers produce a certain crop that is modified to be inedible and serve another purpose; [ 3 ] this, coupled with ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
[24] [25] Cleaner water through reduced nutrient and soil surface runoff can be a further advantage of agroforestry. Trees can help reduce water runoff by decreasing water flow and evaporation and thereby allowing for increased soil infiltration. [26] Compared to row-cropped fields nutrient uptake can be higher and reduce nutrient loss into ...