Agriculture: Commercial & Organic

What is the difference between commercial and organic agriculture?

If commercial agriculture uses pesticides and things like that, do they conciously know about how that effects the environment?

Can the gov't create laws to curb/end uses of chemicals in big agriculture businesses?

Do people who are farmers learn how to grow their stuff effectively without harming the environment?

How would the world change if everyone stopped using pesticides and stuff like that?

LCF Plant Life

PS Review Questions

1) If our plants didn't get watered for two weeks and we came back and they were all sad a miserable and dead looking I am sure it would be because they weren't able to photosythensize correctly and thoroughly. H2O is one of the necesary players in the PS process along with CO2 and sun light, so if they didn't get water they wouldn't be able to produce glucose properly which isn't good because photoautotrophs depend on their abilities to produce their own food!

2) Sometimes when stomata are closed it can be a good thing. for example when its a really hot day they will close to prevent loss of their all important H2O. But if the stomata were to be closed for extended periods of time it could be consequential for an autophototroph because although it would still have whatever concentrations of H2O and CO2, once that sunlight triggers the light dependent rxns and then everything gets going you get to the light independent rxns and eventually you end up with O2 that is unnecesary for the plant, but the plant wouldn't be able to release. So that could be a down fall, build ups of O2 in the plant and possibly not enough intake of CO2 and H2O.

TED Talk Seed Bank

The TED Talk that we watched presented a very big concern that I have never before thought of. It brang into perspective that in the future, with global climate change, our agricultural systems worldwide could possibly get wiped out if we don't do something to stop it now. I totally agree with this idea, after learning about global climate change trends in sophomore year and seeing what the man in the TED Talk was talking about I actually have understood another potential problem global climate change can propose for my own as well as future generations; starvation.

He brought up a good point that it took a lot of people who said "enough is enough" and thought of a new way to store the seeds without the potential destruction/failure due to electricity or financial short comings. This was a great example of how putting different creative minds together to solve a problem that society was facing, a way to preserve seeds without encountering everyday problems. The new seed bank north or Norway is always at a freezing temperature whether there be electricity or not, something that maybe they shouldve thought of quicker but at least they have come to it now, as I am sure it costs lots of money.

Which brings up another point that I've been thinking about; how can we put our ideas together to create more efficient ways of conserving natural resources that are not so reliant on very exspensive techniques like the ones shown in this TED Talk? This question crosses my mind in different forms all the time, about how to spread environmental awareness. I am sure if you asked a random person in the street probably 2 out of 3 people wouldn't have a clue what seed banking is or why it could be vital for human survival in the near future. I haven't come up with an answer, I myself and not super aware of all of the potential environmental crisis that my own and future generations face, but as an individual I do my best to spread awareness to those close to me and hope they do so as well. In college I am planning to major in either human ecology, environmental science, or environmental studies. I am more interesed in human interaction with our planet and how we both affect eachother whether it be negative or positive, and hope to in the near future contribute to conservation efforts like this.

My Garden Plot

The plant I intend to grow in my garden plot is Dragon Fruit.

Dragon fruit is a a fruit of course. Dragon fruit can flower up to six times a year depending what the weather is. They generally do well as long as it is not freezing whether. After planting the seed of a Dragon Fruit shallowly it takes about two weeks for the plant to germinate and the seeds don't require special preparation before being planted. After planting this seed it could take over a year for harvest, I have read that once the plant reaches about 10 pounds it could possibly flower. Since Dragon fruit eventually turns into a tree like structure with what looks like cactus leaves, I don't think that we will be harvesting them this school year. The fact that we can't harvest them this school year doesn't really bother me, I think it'll be cool to experiment and see if it grows, and if it does I'm sure the classes in the future will take some interest in it. The dragon fruit plant does well in many types of soil but it prospers in very high nutrient righ soil so its good to add compost. Since the dragon fruit plant is indeed a cactus you have to make sure you don't over water or else the plant will spoil and rot. It does well in hot temps and dry temps, just no overwatering. I can't really find any good information about companion plants. An interesting thing about this plant is that it is highly nutricious. Its been recognized to lower glucose levels in type2 diabetes, can prevent cancer causeing free form radicals, smooth/moisturize skin as well as lower cholesterol levels, its protein content can boost your metabolism, and supposedly helps boost memory.

The tutorial show me that there are different ways to grow the seeds. You can make a mini greenhouse method with a tuppaware and a moist napkin, you can have a moist napkin with the seeds in a plastic bag, or just put it in soil original style. I think that I'd stick with either the soil or the plastic bag method.

I do not currently know the status of my seedlings. I started some california bluebells, arugula, and red oak leaf lettuce. I really wanted to plant the arugula but I haven't found my pots.

I think maybe 3 or 4 cubic feet will be good for this plant. it will not work out good if the roots are crowded though.