Agriculture Questions

1. What are the difficulties/disadvantages of traditional farming?
2. In agriculture, is there a lot of GM foods being grown nowadays?
3. What are the benefits of organic farming? Is it worth it?
4. How much money each year is put into/gained through agriculture?
5. What pesticides are used widely in today's farming?

Photosynthesis Review

1) After Thanksgiving break you return to the HTHMA garden to find that your crops have not been watered in over two weeks. Most of your plants are dead and those that are alive are barely hanging on.  In relation to the process of photosynthesis, describe what has happened to your plants.

 

 In photosynthesis, CO2, H2O, and sunlight come together to create O2 and sugars. If any of the main reactants were limited or nonexistent, the process of photosynthesis would either stop entirely or be greatly impaired. Therefore, if water supply of our crops were to be cut off for two weeks, photosynthesis would eventually come to a halt during that time. The light dependent reactions would be those most affected because they use H2O and light to produce O2, but, without one working, the Calvin Cycle would not work either. Because plants are autotrophs, and rely on photosynthesis to make their own food, without water they have no photosynthesis, and without photosynthesis they basically have no food or nutrients. So, during your two week hiatus, your plants would pretty much starve and wither away.

2) Upon microscopic inspection of the underside of your plant’s leaves, you notice that in an attempt to conserve water the stomata (aka stomates) are closed. Explain in detail how this impacts the light independent reactions of photosynthesis.

The stomata are the openings on the underside of the leaf through which CO2, O2, and H2O can pass through, so when the stomata are closed, none of the above can move in or out of the plant.  Because CO2 is used in the light independent reactions during photosynthesis to produce sugars, if the stomata were closed and CO2 was unable to move around, the photosynthesis (or at least the Calvin Cycle) would be impaired or altogether halted.

Seed Bank Response

I'd never even known about seed banks until reading this article - it almost seems like paranoia, the lengths that are being gone to to preserve seeds. When, where, how, and to what extent these seeds are being stored is insane - and yet it doesn't even begin to cover it. The Millennium Seed Bank in Norway is enormous and already contains tons of seeds, and yet it was predicted to have only collected about 10% of the seeds they intend to have at the end, which I found interesting at what a slow process it is. And while this may seem like a lot of work for nothing, to me it appears necessary. What would we do in the future if, by human error or natural disaster, we were to lose what few plants we still have today? According to this Ted Talk on the subject, there were 7,100 different named apple varieties in the 1800's, and, by now, 6,800 of those varieties have gone extinct and are forever lost. This is what we want to - need to - prevent in the future. Unfortunately, while "the Millennium Seed Bank Project aims to house all the 300,000 different plant species known to exist to ensure future biodiversity and protect a vital source of food and medicines", this may not be possible due the poor current state of the economy, which seems like it could truly be disastrous. Each seed costs about 2,000 pounds to store, and nearly 10,000,000 pounds are needed annually to run the place, but that seems like a small price to pay in order to guarentee a future with the same variety of plants that we have today. We need to continue on filling Seed Banks such as the Millennium Seed Bank to preserve and maintain the diversity that we're used to. As Cary Fowler mentions in his Ted Talk, by saving these seeds, we may just save ourselves. 

Garden Plot

RENEE'S GARDEN CARROT TRICOLOR CIRCUS CIRCUS

Info: F1-Hybrid. A trio of cool carrot colors includes creamy white, bright orange and a deep, dark purple with orange centers. All 3 well bred Dutch varieties are sweet tasting, crisp and smooth. Equal parts of: Purple Rain F1, Mokum F1, and White Satin F1.

a. Vegetable - Root Crop.

b. July - August

c. 10-20 days to germinate.

d. ~70 days from seed to maturity. 

e. The seeds should be spaced 1/2" apart, in rows 8 inches apart.

f. This plant prefers well-worked soil with consistent moisture

     i. Prefers 6.0 - 6.8 pH level.

     ii. 1-2-2.

g. Should be given 1 inch of water every week. 

h. Companion plants include alliums (leeks, shallots, etc), rosemary, wormwood, sage, beans, flax. You should avoid planting dill, parsnips, and radishes near your carrots. 

i. Since seeds can be planted 1/2" apart, in rows 8 inches apart, 2 square feet might be a good area to plant the carrots in, because that would allow for three rows of 24 carrots.

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ALL BLUE ORGANIC POTATO

Info: With deep blue skin and flesh that almost appears purple, here is another potato to brighten your table and your favorite potato salad. A family favorite for making awesome French Fries or Oven Fries. Abundant yields of medium sized oblong tubers.

a. Vegetable - Root Crop.

b. July - August

c. ~7-14 days to germinate.

d. 80-100 days from seed to maturity. 

e. Plant rows approximately 8' long with seed pieces spaced at 8"-12" apart. 

f. This plant prefers doesn't like too rich of soil

     i. Prefers a normal pH level, ~7.

     ii. N/A.

g. Should be given at least 1 inch of water every week. 

h. Companion plants include horseradish. You should avoid planting carrots, cucumbers, raspberries, squash, and tomatoes near your potatoes. 

i. I am unsure of how much area would be required to produce a substantial amount of potatoes.

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ORANGE MINI CHINESE CABBAGE

Info: This pint-sized Chinese cabbage is packed with barrels of flavor. Compact plants are perfect for small spaces and are quick maturing. When the 4-5 inch heads are cut open, the dense, crispy, creamy orange heart shows its true color. The bright flavor of Orange Mini is delicious in soups, salads, and stir fries.

a. Vegetable.

b. Can be sown in the fall or spring

c. 5-17 days to germinate.

d. 50-125 days from seed to maturity. 

e. Sow 1 seed per inch, 1/4 inch deep, with rows 18-36 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 12-18 inches apart in the row.

f. This plant prefers soil with a lot of organic matter

     i. Prefers a pH of 6.5.

     ii. N/A.

g. Should be given at least 1 - 1.5 inches of water every week. 

h. Companion plants include geraniums, dill, and rosemary. You should avoid planting mustards, pole beans, peppers, tomatoes, or strawberries near your cabbages.

i. Due to the smaller size of the cabbage, maybe 3 square feet would be a large enough area?

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PURPLE PEACOCK BROCCOLI

Info: We were spellbound by this flamboyant broccoli-kale cross. It has all the best qualities of both a kale and broccoli with the glamour and splendor of a peacock's display. Loose heads of purple florets are encircled by the deeply serrated, fuchsia veined leaves. The greens are extra tender when young, and sweet as the tastiest kale as they mature. An impressive production of side shoots provides a continuous harvest of delicious florets.

a. Vegetable.

b. Broccoli can be directly seeded from April through mid July.

c. ~8 days to germinate.

d. ~120 days from seed to maturity. 

e. Sow the seed 1/4 inch deep, 4-6 inches apart, in rows 18-36 inches apart.

f. This plant prefers loose soil and sifted compost

     i. Prefers a pH of 6 - 6.8.

     ii. N/A.

g. Should have moist, but not waterlogged soil.  

h. Companion plants include geraniums, dill, and rosemary. You should avoid planting mustards,  peppers, or tomatoes near your broccoli. 

i. It seems that, based on the size and shape of this plant, 2-3 square feet should be enough to grow a good amount of broccoli.