In agriculture Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as, crop yield (also known as "agricultural output") is not only a measure of the yield of cereal per unit area of land under cultivation Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by ploughing, ripping, or turning it. Tillage can also mean the land that is tilled. There are two types of tillage: primary and secondary tillage, yield is also the seed generation of the plant itself (e.g. one wheat grain produces a stalk yielding three grain, or 1:3).[citation needed][original research?] The figure, 1:3 is considered by agronomists An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. The agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, except veterinary sciences as the minimum required to sustain human life.[1]
One of the three seeds must be set aside for the next planting season, the remaining two either consumed by the grower, or one for human consumption and the other for livestock feed[citation needed]. The higher the surplus, the more livestock can be established and maintained, thereby increasing the physical and economic well-being of the farmer and his family. This, in turn, resulted in better stamina, better over-all health, and better, more efficient work. In addition, the more the surplus the more draft animals -- horse and oxen -- could be supported and harnessed to work, and manure, the soil thereby easing the farmer's burden. Increased crop yields meant few hands were needed on farm, freeing them for industry and commerce. This, in turn, led to the formation and growth of cities.
Formation and growth of cities meant an increased demand for food stuffs by non-farmers, and their willingness to pay for it. This, in turn, led the farmer to (further) innovation, more intensive farming, the demand/creation of new and/or improved farming implements, and a quest for improved seed which improved crop yield. Thus allowing the farmer to raise his income by bringing more food to non-farming (city) markets.
History
Historically speaking, a major increase in crop yield took place in the early eighteenth century with the end of the ancient, wasteful cycle of the three course system of crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons for various benefits such as to avoid the build up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped. Crop rotation also seeks to balance the fertility demands of various crops to avoid excessive whereby a third of the land laid fallow every year -- and hence taken out of human food, and animal feed, production.
It was to be replaced by the four-course system of crop rotation, devised in England in 1730 by Viscount Charles Townshend Charles Townshend was a British politician. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey (died 1788), daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford, a lady who rivalled her son in brilliancy of wit and frankness of expression or "Turnip" Townshend during the British Agricultural Revolution The British Agricultural Revolution describes a period of development in Britain between the 17th century and the end of the 19th century, which saw a massive increase in agricultural productivity and net output. This in turn supported unprecedented population growth, freeing up a significant percentage of the workforce, and thereby helped drive[2] as he was called by early detractors.
In the first year wheat Wheat is a grass, originally from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize (784 million tons) and rice (651 million tons). Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food, having a or oats The common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other grains). While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed. Oats make up a large part of the diet of horses and are regularly fed to cattle as were planted; in the second year barley Barley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare or oats; in the third year clover Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. Legumes are ecologically important in that they fix nitrogen into the soil, and have therefore been a valuable resource throughout farming history. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern, rye Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskies, some vodkas, and animal fodder. It can also be eaten whole, either as boiled rye berries, or by being rolled, similar to rolled, rutabaga The rutabaga, swede , or yellow turnip (Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica, or Brassica napus subsp. rapifera) is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. The roots are prepared for food in a variety of ways, and its leaves can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable and/or kale Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage , green or purple, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide array of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts. The cultivar group Acephala were planted; in the fourth year turnips The turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock were planted but not harvested. Instead, sheep were driven on to the turnip fields to eat the crop, trample the leavings under their feet into the soil, and by doing all this, the sheep also fertilized the land with their droppings. In the fifth year (or first year of the new rotation), the cycle began once more with a planting of wheat or oats, in an average, a thirty percent increased yield[citation needed].
See also
- Crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons for various benefits such as to avoid the build up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped. Crop rotation also seeks to balance the fertility demands of various crops to avoid excessive
- Green Revolution Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between 1943 and the late 1970s, that increased industrialized agriculture production in many developing nations
- Second Green Revolution
- Sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture uses ecological principles to farm, hence the prefex agro- to farm and ecology- the science of the relationship between organisms and their environment. It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
- Yield (wine)
Notes
- ^ Pipes, Richard, Russia under the Old Regime (Charles Scribner's Sons, NY 1974) p.8
- ^ Durant, Will, The History of Civilization: Vol. IX The Age of Voltaire p.47
Categories: Crops A crop is any plant that is grown in significant quantities to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or for another economic purpose. This category includes crop species as well as agricultural techniques related to cropping | Agronomy Categories: Ecology | Agriculture | Applied sciences | Soil science |
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