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Agricultural science

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Agricultural science (or agriscience for short[1]) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professionals of the agricultural science are called agricultural scientists or agriculturists.

History

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In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Mayer conducted experiments on the use of gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate) as a fertilizer.[2]

In 1843, John Bennet Lawes and Joseph Henry Gilbert began a set of long-term field experiments at Rothamsted Research in England, some of which are still running as of 2018.[3][4][5]

In the United States, a scientific revolution in agriculture began with the Hatch Act of 1887, which used the term "agricultural science".[6][7] The Hatch Act was driven by farmers' interest in knowing the constituents of early artificial fertilizer. The Smith–Hughes Act of 1917 shifted agricultural education back to its vocational roots, but the scientific foundation had been built.[8] For the next 44 years after 1906, federal expenditures on agricultural research in the United States outpaced private expenditures.[9]Template:Rp

Environmental impact

Climate change has had significant effects on modern agriculture, making weather patterns less predictable and increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as prolonged droughts, floods and heatwaves. As a result, crop production has become more uncertain even in regions that were previously characterised by relatively stable climatic conditions.[10] Changes in temperature and rainfall regimes are also contributing to soil erosion, desertification and the degradation of water resources, with implications for long-term agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.[11]

To address these issues, there has been increasing interest in agricultural research and practice in the so-called climate-smart strategies aimed at adapting agricultural systems to the existing and the forecasted climate effects and the minimisation of greenhouse gas emissions wherever feasible. These measures involve more efficient use of water and nutrients, crop and agriculture system diversification, soil and water protection, and creating crops and livestock strains more resistant to heat and drought among other challenges. The thrust of these endeavors defines the fundamental importance of agricultural science to the maintenance of food production, safeguarding natural resources and promoting resilience to environmental change.[12]


Prominent agricultural scientists

Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution.

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Scope

Agriculture, agricultural science, and agronomy are closely related. However, they cover different concepts:

  • Agriculture is the set of activities that transform the environment for the production of animals and plants for human use. Agriculture concerns techniques, including the application of agronomic research.
  • Agronomy is research and development related to studying and improving plant-based crops.
  • Template:Visible anchor is the science of cultivating the earth.[13]
  • Hydroponics involves growing plants without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in an artificial environment.

Research topics

Agricultural sciences include research and development on:[14][15]

  • Improving agricultural productivity in terms of quantity and quality (e.g., selection of drought-resistant crops and animals, development of new pesticides, yield-sensing technologies, simulation models of crop growth, in-vitro cell culture techniques)
  • Minimizing the effects of pests (weeds, insects, pathogens, mollusks, nematodes) on crop or animal production systems.
  • Transformation of primary products into end-consumer products (e.g., production, preservation, and packaging of dairy products)
  • Prevention and correction of adverse environmental effects (e.g., soil degradation, waste management, bioremediation)
  • Theoretical production ecology, relating to crop production modeling
  • Traditional agricultural systems, sometimes termed subsistence agriculture, which feed most of the poorest people in the world. These systems are of interest as they sometimes retain a level of integration with natural ecological systems greater than that of industrial agriculture, which may be more sustainable than some modern agricultural systems.
  • Food production and demand globally, with particular attention paid to the primary producers, such as China, India, Brazil, the US, and the EU.
  • Various sciences relating to agricultural resources and the environment (e.g. soil science, agroclimatology); biology of agricultural crops and animals (e.g. crop science, animal science and their included sciences, e.g. ruminant nutrition, farm animal welfare); such fields as agricultural economics and rural sociology; various disciplines encompassed in agricultural engineering.

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Agricultural Research, Livelihoods, and Poverty: Studies of Economic and Social Impacts in Six Countries Edited by Michelle Adato and Ruth Meinzen-Dick (2007), Johns Hopkins University Press Food Policy Report[16]
  • Claude Bourguignon, Regenerating the Soil: From Agronomy to Agrology, Other India Press, 2005
  • Pimentel David, Pimentel Marcia, Computer les kilocalories, Cérès, n. 59, sept-oct. 1977
  • Russell E. Walter, Soil conditions and plant growth, Longman group, London, New York 1973
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  • Saltini Antonio, Storia delle scienze agrarie, 4 vols, Bologna 1984–89, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN
  • Vavilov Nicolai I. (Starr Chester K. editor), The Origin, Variation, Immunity and Breeding of Cultivated Plants. Selected Writings, in Chronica botanica, 13: 1–6, Waltham, Mass., 1949–50
  • Vavilov Nicolai I., World Resources of Cereals, Leguminous Seed Crops and Flax, Academy of Sciences of Urss, National Science Foundation, Washington, Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem 1960
  • Winogradsky Serge, Microbiologie du sol. Problèmes et methodes. Cinquante ans de recherches, Masson & c.ie, Paris 1949

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  1. ↑ Template:Cite encyclopedia
  2. ↑ John Armstrong, Jesse Buel. A Treatise on Agriculture, The Present Condition of the Art Abroad and at Home, and the Theory and Practice of Husbandry. To which is Added, a Dissertation on the Kitchen and Garden. 1840. p. 45.
  3. ↑ Template:Cite web
  4. ↑ Template:Cite web
  5. ↑ Template:Cite web
  6. ↑ Template:Cite web
  7. ↑ Template:Cite web
  8. ↑ Hillison J. (1996). The Origins of Agriscience: Or Where Did All That Scientific Agriculture Come From? Template:Webarchive. Journal of Agricultural Education.
  9. ↑ Huffman WE, Evenson RE. (2006). Science for Agriculture. Blackwell Publishing.
  10. ↑ Template:Cite web
  11. ↑ Template:Cite web
  12. ↑ Template:Cite web
  13. ↑ “Geoponics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geoponics. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
  14. ↑ Template:Cite book
  15. ↑ Template:Cite book
  16. ↑ Agricultural research, livelihoods, and poverty | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Template:Webarchive
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