Sustainable agriculture has become increasingly supported by citizens and farmers alike. According to the United States’ 1990 Farm Bill, for agriculture to be sustainable agriculture it meets the following requirements: Production must satisfy the human need for food and fibers Environmental quality and natural resource base that the agricultural economy depends upon must be enhanced…
Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic plants and animals. The field has grown rapidly throughout the past years because of a lack of arable land and increasing consumer demand for marine proteins and vegetables. Supply is also affected by pressure on wild populations and a growing recognition of the environmental impact of commercial fishing. For…
It is not difficult to argue that the environment can manage itself in the event that humans are not available to intervene. However, humans are at present an integral part of the natural environment and our interactions with the environment often negatively impact the environment by altering its normal functionality, subsequently resulting in the emergence…
The world we live in is quite complicated. Being alone in this crazy, mixed-up reality can make this truth quite scary. However, even in the big, bad take-no-prisoners universe of globalized economics, there are tools that can be used to help improve one’s chances of successful navigation through these choppy waters. One of the most…
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 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…
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…
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…
Entomopathogenic viruses are those that infect and kill insects. They are superior to regular pesticides because they are not harmful to humans or other vertebrates. Furthermore, each viral strain attacks only a limited number of insect species which helps to mitigate unpredicted damage. There are two types of entomopathogenic viruses: Baculoviridae (ds DNA) Nucleopolyhedrovirus Granulovirus…
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a long-term pest prevention program that focuses on ecosystem-based strategies for the control of pest-related issues. This is accomplished through a combination of techniques including biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices and the use of resistant cultivars. The use of chemical pesticides is then restricted to applications only after…
