exam (temperate cropping) Flashcards
(61 cards)
definition of a cropping system
crops, their sequence + their management. both adapted to a given environment
cropping system equation and meaning of each variable
G x E x M
G = genotype (species and variety)
E = environment (climate/soil)
M = management decisions made by farmers (pesticides, row spacing, rotation,tillage
Norman Borlaug
Nobel prize winner, introduces pest resistance and semi-dwarf varieties of wheat, higher N acceptance
credited for the green revolution
green revolution
G x M
new varieties have higher yield initially, can take more nitrogen before plateauing.
examples of G x E change
n ont cropping systems
the growing season is getting longer and warmer
grain corn and soybean production in N ont increasing
corn heat units growing steadily
corn - corn crop rotations
increased popularity in ont bc of economics, operation type and tech adoption
rootworm an issue, BT reduces footwork risk but resistance is increasing
rootworm
corn pest
typical in corn-corn rotation, needs 2 years for life cycle
adults feed on silks in July/aug, then lay eggs in the soil. larvae eats corn roots next year
BT corn to kill off footwork but resistance is increasing
change in canada cropping systems over time (farm:total)
then - 1 in 3 in 1931, 1 in 50 now # of farms decreased but avg acres increased
Canadian cropping systems “before”
crop-livestock integration is greater, more manure Fert, forages, more diverse rotations on smaller fields. lots more rotations and forages/small fields. required for weed management
Canadian cropping systems now
larger farms and fields,
mechanization, simplified rotations, simplification and separation of livestock and crop farmers, larger % rented land, hay can be used as a cash crop.
main ag regions in Canada
northern corn belt, peace river valley
ont, qc, w canada, Manitoba.
S and SE ont, E qc is main region, northern corn belt.
parries have diversity in the region, dry, short growing season
N. BC, N ab, peace river valley, grows a lot of seed products
4 secular trends in CDN cropping systems
- decline in forage production in e canada
- summer fallow all but eliminated in canada
- wheat and canola big winners in w canada
- domination of corn and soybeans, decline of small grains in E canada
true/false: farmers will always choose to max profit/yield
false, max yield is rarely profitable, also have to manage risk, enviro costs, and personal preferences
plant vs crop performance
performance of one individual does not define the entire field. management that increases yield of individual does not always increase all of the crop. most temperate crops on a per crop basis, tropical plants usually on a per plant
yield equation: meaning, too many characters to make the actual thing an equation
based mostly on light. from planting to harvest, PAR, fraction of PAR intercepted by crop canopy, radiation use efficiency (crop biomass/PAR), harvest index
harvest index meaning and equation
fundamental measurement of temperate crop productivity. biomass always expressed at 0% for HI,
grain yield/total crop biomass
lieges law of the minimum
1843, yield is regulated by the limiting factor, yield can only be increased by correcting the limiting factor.
crop management should focus on correcting the limiting factor one by one until no more limitations
mitscherlichs law of the maximum
1909, only true in high yielding environments, each factor limits yield by only ~10%, final result is greater than the sum of the effects bc each effect multiplies, aim at correcting many factors together to get multiplicative yield effect.
law of conservation of matter
matter is neither created nor destroyed
nutrient balance calculation importance
can be created by calculating inputs and output on the farm, can account for nutrient pollution,.
meaning of a negative nutrient balance in the soil:
more exports than imports, nutrients are being mined from soil resevoir
meaning of positive nutrient balance in the soil
exports < imports, nutrients are being accumulated or lost through pollution/ unmeasured pathway
sustainable definition
possible to continue indefinitely.
implications for nutrient management re: conservation of matter
every part of a nutrient can be accounted for in cropping systems via a nutrient budget, nutrient mining results in unsustainable cropping systems