Home > Agricultural science

1 Agriculture and agricultural science

The two terms are often confused. 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 agriculture.

Agricultural sciences include research and development on:

• Production techniques (e.g., irrigation management, recommended nitrogen inputs)
• Improving production in terms of quantity and quality (e.g., selection of drought-resistant crops, development of new pesticides, yield-sensing technologies, simulation models of crop growth, in-vitro cell culture techniques)
• 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)

2 Agricultural science: a local science

Research in agronomy, more than in any other field, is strongly related to local areas. It can be considered a science of ecoregions, because it is closely linked to soil properties and climate, which are never exactly the same from one place to another. Many people think an agricultural production system relying on local weather, soilSoil is the layer of minerals and organic matter, in thickness from centimetres to a metre or more, on the land surface. Its main components are mineral matter, organic matter, moisture, and air. Soils differ in the ratio of these components. Modern soil characteristics, and specific crops has to be studied locally. Others feel a need to know and understand production systems in as many areas as possible.

3 Agricultural sciences evolution

Agronomy today is very different from what it was before about 1950. Intensification of agriculture since the 1960s in developed and developing countries, often referred to as the Green RevolutionThe Green revolution is a process of technological development of agricultural techniques that began in Mexico in 1944 and has since spread throughout the world. The goal of the Green revolution was to increase the efficiency of agricultural processes so, was closely tied to progress made in selecting and improving crops and animals for high productivity, as well as to developing additional inputs such as artificial fertilizerFertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil or by foliar spraying. Fertilizers typically provide, in varying proportions, the three major plant nutrients ( nitrogen, phosphs and phytosanitary products.

However, environmental damage due to intensive agriculture, industrial development, and population growth have raised many questions among agronomists and have led to the development and emergence of new fields (e.g., integrated pest management, waste treatment technologies, landscape architectureLandscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of large-scale man-made constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site planning, estate development, e, genomicsGenomics is the study of an organism's genome and the use of the genes. It deals with the systematic use of genome information, associated with other data, to provide answers in biology, medicine, and industry. Genomics has the potential of offering new t).

New technologies, such as biotechnology and computer science (for data processing and storage), and technological advances have made it possible to develop new research fields, including genetic engineering, improved statistical analysis, and precision farming.