Farming and Soil

Farming and Soil: Techniques, Risks, and Benefits

• Vertical farming is becoming popular due to its efficiency compared to traditional farming.
• Fertilizers provide nutrients such as N, P, and K for crop growth but can lead to eutrophication in nearby bodies of water.
• Herbicides are added to soil to prevent unwanted plants from competing with crops for added nutrients.
• Pests are organisms that attack or feed upon crop plants, while pesticides are chemicals used to kill them.
• Overuse of pesticides can lead to pest resistance, spray drift, and unintentional killing of beneficial and non-target insects.
• Bioaccumulation is the buildup of toxins in an organism, while biomagnification is the increase in concentration of toxins up the food chain.
• Synthetic chemicals used in farming can have negative impacts on the food web, resistance, eutrophication, and bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
• Biological control is the use of natural predators to control pests and diseases without chemicals, but it can have drawbacks such as being slow and affected by climate conditions.
• Weed barriers and flame guns are used to control weeds and pests without chemicals.
• Crop rotation promotes biodiversity and reduces the need for external fertilizers and chemical control.
• Soil is a natural resource made up of ions, pH, water, air, mineral particles, and organic matter, which improves soil structure and provides a food source for soil organisms.
• Poor soil quality can result in slow growth, yellowish leaves, poor quality fruits, and failure to flower, and can be improved through techniques such as conservation tilling and companion planting.