ABSTRACT
Like Chapter 13, this one focuses on arable farming. We will take the previous discussion further and study some aspects in more detail. First you will read about farmers’ problems with weeds, pests and plant diseases, including the use of pesticides and other ways to fight these problems. Sound growing conditions are also important and are among other things supported by so-called crop rotation. The crop rotation plan states the kind of crops that will be grown at a particular farm, and in what order they are to be grown in the fields during the crop rotation cycle, which may, for example, last five years. By this means the pressure from weeds, pests and plant diseases can be reduced, at the same time as the rotation provides other benefits too. Different kinds of fallow land are also discussed, before the focus is turned to matters of sowing seed, to which much attention is paid in this chapter. You will learn about several aspects of plant breeding and different breeding methods, but also worries about lost genetic diversity and genetically modified seeds. We will also discuss alternative ways to get hold of seed for the coming season. The chapter ends with a discussion about yield levels and includes a list of the main yield influencing factors, which serves as a kind of general summary of crop cultivation issues.
After this chapter you are expected to:
Be aware of problems with weeds, pests and plant diseases in crop farming
Understand the principle of crop rotation and its advantages
Be familiar with various reasons for fallow land
Be able to give examples of improvements that have been obtained through plant breeding
Be familiar with the major forms of plant breeding
Be able to discuss the pros and cons of various ways to get hold of seed for sowing
Be able to suggest a number of factors that may contribute to differing yields per hectare
Key words
Weeds, pests, plant diseases, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, crop rotation, multiple cropping, cover crops, fallow, plant breeding, selective breeding, cross breeding, plant GMOs, Green Revolution, plant genetic resources, sowing seed, yield influencing factors.
