Loss of Turgor Pressure (decrease in water pressure within plant cell walls) Causes: abiotic factors, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects Examples: Ralstonia solanacearum, Verticillium dahliae, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus Enations (scaly leaflike structures that lack a vascular system) Causes: viruses Examples: Cherry raspberry leaf virus, Pea enation mosaic virus Stunting (dwarfing or loss of vigor) Causes: …
buffer zones & buffer strips – what they are and why we need them
Buffer zones and buffer strips are the areas between aquatic and terrestrial zones. The best-known buffer strips are wetlands and riparian zones. They can consist of natural or planted vegetation and serve as a place for water and matter storage. The two types of limitations that impact buffer zones are internal limitations and external …
Continue reading "buffer zones & buffer strips – what they are and why we need them"
what is the difference between plant resistance and plant tolerance?
Plant tolerance and plant resistance are ways that plants deal with stressors in their environment. Resistance and tolerance are plants' best defense mechanisms. At the most basic level, the difference between tolerance and resistance is related to how the plant defends itself. In the case of tolerance, the plant has strategies that helps it to …
Continue reading "what is the difference between plant resistance and plant tolerance?"
a brief introduction to plant diseases
A disease, as it relates to plants, is a disturbance from plant pathogens or environmental factors that interfere with plant physiology. When a disease is present, plants will express symptoms. Symptoms are the detectable expression of a disease, pest or environmental factor. These symptoms are usually the result of complex physiological disturbances. They result in changes …
the greenhouse effect
The term greenhouse effect has some pretty negative connotations. On the one side, there are those who hate all the tree-hugging hippies who are against progress and technology, and think that global warming is a giant scam developed by Al Gore in order to ruin the United States' economy and turn the country into a …
8 essential questions to ask before installing an irrigation system
Irrigation systems offer a variety of benefits. They allow for the growth of a wider variety of crops. They can be timed so that the hands-on portion of crop production is a little less cumbersome. They protect crops from irregular and dry weather conditions. They support leaching, which can remove harmful, crop-damaging salts within in …
Continue reading "8 essential questions to ask before installing an irrigation system"
soil sealing: what it is and why it’s important
Soil. A living, breathing fundamental component of the world. Without it, we would not be able to grow food. There would be no trees and plants growing to provide us with the delicious oxygen so necessary to our existence. Our water would not be purified. We would more or less just be screwed. Yet, we …
Continue reading "soil sealing: what it is and why it’s important"
ECOSYSTEMS UNITED 