Food, probably one of the most important resources on this Earth, is becoming scarcer and scarcer by the moment. With the UN estimating an extra 2-3 billion mouths to feed by 2050 and crop production being undermined by 2 percent per decade, the prospects of preventing the crisis in time look bleak.” (TechCrunch.com). Mankind is slowly inching toward a dystopian future where food shortage will trigger riots and wars. At this moment, the world is facing one of the largest challenges yet. With scientists searching for more and more solutions everyday, biotechnology seems to be the most promising answer to an imminent and threatening catastrophe. Not only do biotech crops help farmers be more efficient by reducing land needed to grow food, but
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Abiotic factors are the nonliving components that affect crop production. One important abiotic factor is topography. Topography is defined as the “lay of the land (cropsreview.com). The topography includes earth features such as land elevation, slope, terrain, bodies of water, etc. This topography can play a huge role for plants. For example, a steep slope is susceptible of rapid surface runoff and soil erosion which can cause soil degradation and have a serious impact on the efficacy of crop production. As well, the elevation of land can play a huge role in the agricultural system. Many people don’t know that the altitude of the terrain influences plant growth and development primarily through temperature effect. It has been proven that, with every 100m increase in altitude in dry air, temperature decreases by 1 C°. This abiotic factor is an important consideration in crop or site selection for more productive crop farming (cropsreview.com). For example, coconuts prefer an elevation not exceeding 600 meters above sea level. Elevation varies with the dominance of certain plant species. Another extremely important abiotic factor that contributes a lot to the agricultural system is soil. By definition, soil is the outermost layer of the surface of earth in which plants grow. The soil itself is not the important element, rather, it is the eroded rock, mineral nutrients, …show more content…
Depending on how these factors interact directly with the organism, the effects may be advantageous or disadvantageous. These include but are not limited to weeds, animal pests, pathogens, diseases, and predators. One catastrophic biotic factor are soil organisms. These include bacteria, fungi, earthworm, rodent, termite, etc. In terms of beneficial effects, these organisms can supply nutrients or help in the decomposition of plant materials. On the disadvantageous side, soil organisms can cause diseases, reduce quality of crops, or open up wounds on plants for other pathogens to enter (passnownow.com). Another deadly biotic factor is the multitude of weeds that occupy the agricultural terrain. Weeds compete with crops of space, nutrients, and sunlight. Moreover, weeds cause extremely poor growth of crops. Furthermore, one of the most important biotic factors that scientists are attentive with are pests. Pests can be anywhere from insects and rodents to birds and some mammals. Not only do pests reduce the yield of crops by carrying diseases or decreasing quality, they reduce the income of farmers. The cost of managing pests can increase the costs of production which can have detrimental effects on the economy and the whole of the human populace. Next, there are three biotic “interactions” that can either have detrimental or beneficial
Abiotic factors are the nonliving components that affect crop production. One important abiotic factor is topography. Topography is defined as the “lay of the land (cropsreview.com). The topography includes earth features such as land elevation, slope, terrain, bodies of water, etc. This topography can play a huge role for plants. For example, a steep slope is susceptible of rapid surface runoff and soil erosion which can cause soil degradation and have a serious impact on the efficacy of crop production. As well, the elevation of land can play a huge role in the agricultural system. Many people don’t know that the altitude of the terrain influences plant growth and development primarily through temperature effect. It has been proven that, with every 100m increase in altitude in dry air, temperature decreases by 1 C°. This abiotic factor is an important consideration in crop or site selection for more productive crop farming (cropsreview.com). For example, coconuts prefer an elevation not exceeding 600 meters above sea level. Elevation varies with the dominance of certain plant species. Another extremely important abiotic factor that contributes a lot to the agricultural system is soil. By definition, soil is the outermost layer of the surface of earth in which plants grow. The soil itself is not the important element, rather, it is the eroded rock, mineral nutrients, …show more content…
Depending on how these factors interact directly with the organism, the effects may be advantageous or disadvantageous. These include but are not limited to weeds, animal pests, pathogens, diseases, and predators. One catastrophic biotic factor are soil organisms. These include bacteria, fungi, earthworm, rodent, termite, etc. In terms of beneficial effects, these organisms can supply nutrients or help in the decomposition of plant materials. On the disadvantageous side, soil organisms can cause diseases, reduce quality of crops, or open up wounds on plants for other pathogens to enter (passnownow.com). Another deadly biotic factor is the multitude of weeds that occupy the agricultural terrain. Weeds compete with crops of space, nutrients, and sunlight. Moreover, weeds cause extremely poor growth of crops. Furthermore, one of the most important biotic factors that scientists are attentive with are pests. Pests can be anywhere from insects and rodents to birds and some mammals. Not only do pests reduce the yield of crops by carrying diseases or decreasing quality, they reduce the income of farmers. The cost of managing pests can increase the costs of production which can have detrimental effects on the economy and the whole of the human populace. Next, there are three biotic “interactions” that can either have detrimental or beneficial