22-06-2012, 04:22 PM
TECHNALOGY AND AGRICULTURE
TECHNALOGY AND AGRICULTURE.docx (Size: 23.81 KB / Downloads: 33)
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture (also called farming or husbandry) is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life Agriculture was the key development in the of human civilization.
MODERN TECHNIQUES
The basic technology of agricultural machines has changed little in the last century. Agriculture may be one of the oldest professions, but the development and use of machinery has made the job easier for the farmers and also has increased the yields. With the rapid rise of mechanization in the late 19th century and the 20th century, particularly in the form of the tractor, farming tasks could be done with a speed and on a scale previously impossible.
• WATER MANAGEMENT
Water management is where rainfall is insufficient or variable, which occurs to some degree in most regions of the world. Optimal water efficiency means minimizing losses due to evaporation, runoff or subsurface drainage. An evaporation pan can be used to determine how much water is required to irrigate the land. Overhead irrigation, using center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers, gives a much more equal and controlled distribution pattern. Drip irrigation offers the best results in delivering water to plant roots with minimal losses.
• CROP ALTERATION
Altering crops through breeding practices changes the genetic make-up of a plant to develop crops with more beneficial characteristics for humans. Domestication of plants has, over the centuries increased . yield ,improved disease resistance and drought tolerance, eased harvest and improved the taste and nutritional value of crop plants. Careful selection and breeding have had enormous effects on the characteristics of crop plants
• GENETIC ENGINEERING
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are organisms whose genetic material has been altered by genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Genetic engineering has expanded the genes available to breeders to utilize in creating desired germ lines for new crops. More recently, genetic engineering is being employed in various parts of the world, to create crops with other beneficial traits.
• HERBICIDE TOLERANT CROPS
Roundup Ready seed has a herbicide resistant gene implanted into its genome that allows the plants to tolerate exposure to glyphosate. Ready seeds allow the farmer to grow a crop that can be sprayed with glyphosate to control weeds without harming the resistant crop. Herbicide-tolerant crops are used by farmers worldwide.
• INSECT RESISTANT CROPS
Other GMO crops used by growers include insect-resistant crops, which have a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt), which produces a toxin specific to insects. These crops protect plants from damage by insects