agricultural technology

Table of Contents

Introduction
Soil preparation
- Tilling
  - Primary tillage equipment
  - Secondary tillage
  - Minimum tillage
  - Mulch tillage
- Fertilizing and conditioning the soil
  - Essential plant nutrients
  - Determining nutrient needs
  - The economics of fertilizers
  - Farm manure
  - Green manuring
  - Compost, peat, and sludge
  - Liming
  - Methods of application
  - The future for fertilizers
Factors in cropping
- Cropping systems
  - Crop rotation
  - Monoculture
    - Advantages of monoculture
    - Disadvantages of monoculture
- Crop protection
  - Chemical control of insects
  - Nonchemical control of insects
    - Mechanical and cultural controls
    - Biological controls
  - Control of plant diseases and nematodes
  - Weed control
Harvesting and crop processing
- Harvesting machinery
- Crop-processing machinery
Regional variations in technique
- Dryland farming
  - Fallow system and tillage techniques
  - Fertilizer use
  - Crops and planting methods
- Tropical farming
  - Plant-pest problems
  - Water management
  - Mechanical problems
- Other specialized techniques
  - Hydroponics
  - Greenhouses
The factor of weather
- Weather information
  - Other weather-research benefits
  - Observing climatic elements
  - The degree day
- Weather effects
  - Solar radiation
  - Photosynthesis
  - Photoperiodism
- Weather conditions and controls
  - Temperature
  - Frost
  - Irrigation
  - Rainmaking
  - Humidity
  - Wind
The effects of pollution
- Air pollution
  - Air pollution damage to agriculture
    - Acid gases
    - Products of combustion
  - Air pollution by agriculture
    - Pesticides
    - Odours, pollen, and dust
- Soil and water pollution
  - Pollutants damaging to agriculture
    - Sediment
    - Plant nutrients
    - Inorganic salts and minerals
    - Organic wastes
    - Infectious agents
    - Chemicals
    - Heat
  - Pollutants from agriculture
    - Eutrophication
    - Salinity
    - Agricultural processing wastes
  - Monitoring pesticides

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