Intro to Agronomy

• Agronomy–Specialization of agriculture

concerned w/ the theory & practice of field-crop production & soil management. The scientific management of land (The Nature & Properties of Soils).

• Science of soils & field crops (Agriscience Fundamentals & Applications).

• The art and science of crop production & soil management (Plant Science: Growth, Development, & Utilization of Cultivated Plants).

A Brief History of Agronomy in the Northeast

• Forests & first settlers

• European settlement – settlers grow their own food (SUBSISTENCE)

• Land clearing

• Livestock are scavengers – fenced out instead of fenced in

• Crop economy – started to grow extra crops in order to sell them for the next year’s supplies– Exported grains (whiskey and flour)– Livestock fed the byproducts from the

grains– Soil Problems (around 1800)-– many farmers were having

problems growing wheat due to erosion, diseases, pests, weeds, & poor soil minerals (there was no lime or fertilizer!)

This led to the growing of grass for pasturing animals (livestock were now being fed for production)– Solve the Winter Feeding Problem

– (around 1800) – corn silage was made, which made it possible for year round milking

– Farmers concentrated on farming the “good” land & managing the “bad land as pastures or forests

Many fields were abandoned

Modern Times

• Many forage & grass varieties are grown

• Chemicals play a huge part in production

• Machinery & technology explosion• More emphasis on the environment &

management

Seeds

• 3 Main Parts of a Seed

–Embryo (young plant)

–Food Supply

–Seed Coat

Seeds• Seed Parts/Functions• Monocot

–Seed Coat – encloses seed parts & protects them

–Endosperm – portion of food supply that is stored outside of the embryo & serves as a food supply during germination (dicots have no endosperm)

• Embryo – the young plant formed when an egg cell is fertilized by pollen, sometimes an embryo may be dormant until germination occurs

• Dicot–Radicle – develops into the primary

root–Primary Root – grows out of the

uppermost root hair & grows downward into the soil

• Hypocotyl – also grows out of the uppermost root hair, but grows upward through the soil & develops into a cotyledon

• Stem – the part of the plant which grows out of cotyledon

• Germination

–When a seed goes from a dormant stage into an active one; there must be favorable conditions

Favorable Conditions for Germination

• Temperature of soil

• Moisture of soil

• Oxygen & air in soil

• Depth of planting

• Type/make up of soil

• Erosion/slope

• Past growing history

Stages of Germination• Favorable conditions

• Swelling of the seed due to absorbing water from the soil

• Starches in the seed are changed into sugars, the plant uses these sugars as a food source until it can make its own food

VOCABULARY

• Monocot- have one cotyledon, or seed leaf–Ex: corn, oats, rye, bromegrass,

wheat, barley, timothy• Dicot- have 2 cotyledons or seed

leaves–Ex: alfalfa, peas, cotton, clover,

soybeans, potatoes

VOCABULARY

• Cotyledon- leaf-like structures at the first node on a seedling stem

• Node- Enlarged portion of a stem where leaves are attached and buds are located

• Internodes- region between nodes

CLASSES OF PLANT FEEDS

1. Forage- leaves and stems of grasses, legumes, and cereals

2. Grains- seeds of cereals

3. Roots and Tubers- turnips, beets

4. Byproducts- cereal seed coats, animal by products

FORAGE

• Also called roughages

• Course feeds that are high in fiber and low in energy

• Less digestible than concentrates

• Make up most of a ration, most likely as hay or silage

FORAGES BROKEN DOWN INTO…

1. Grasses – Characteristics:

• Monocots, long narrow leaves, endosperm with a seed coat– EX: corn, wheat, barley, oats,

rye, orchard grass, timothy

FORAGES BROKEN DOWN INTO…

2. Legumes

– Characteristics:

•Dicots, have three leaves, no endosperm, bacteria (rhizobia) in roots able to help make nitrogen

–EX: clover, alfalfa

CONCENTRATE

• Also called grains

• Feed that are high in energy and low in fiber

• Contains a lot of starches

• Can be high in protein as well