Inreasing crop and animal production

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A-Levels Biology 4 (Energy and Food production) Mind Map on Inreasing crop and animal production, created by harry_bygraves on 30/05/2013.
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Mind Map by harry_bygraves, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by harry_bygraves almost 11 years ago
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Inreasing crop and animal production
  1. Soil management. The enviromental factors that operate in soil are called edaphic factors. And the four most important are;
    1. Physical structure; this depends mainly on the relative proportions of different sized particles and the way they interact with the organic content of the soil.
      1. Water and air content; the amount of water in soil depends on its water holding capacity and the extent to which water can move down through the soil. Waterlogged soils usually lack oxygen. This inhitbits root activity, slows down decomposition or organic matter, and leads to mineral deffiency
        1. Chemical composition; this includes the nutirent content and the amount of humus in the soil. Soils with high humus content retain water well without preventing drainage
          1. pH; the hydrogen ion concentraition of soils affects the solubility and availability of minerals in the soil, as well as affecting plant enzymes
          2. Farming techniques used to improve soils include;
            1. Ploughing; by mechanically breaking apart large clumps of soil to remove weeds and obtain good tilith
              1. Liming; the adition of agricultural lime to increase soil pH which neutralises acidic soils and promotes clumping of soil particles
                1. Drainage and irrigation; to optimise water and air content
                  1. The application of fertilisers
                  2. Improving soil fertility. Soil fertility and crop roduction can be improved by using natural or artificail fertilizers. The addition of natural fertilisers has the advantage of promtoing humus production and improving soil texture. Natural fertilizers are harder to handle and take a longer time to have an effect. They also have a more variable composition and their actions are less predictable
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