water quality is an issue, things to look out for are sediment runoff, excessive nutrients eg. from animal waste or fertilizers, salinity problems and pesticide runoff.
water quantity is an issue especially during times of drougt. irrigation has to be carefully planned, since if done irresponsibly, a majority of the water can be lost through evaporation.
government legislations are put into place to help manage the use of water. water licenses are required to extract water from catchments, but it's allocations that matter. allocations dictate how much water a farmer can use during a year based on their license. sometimes they might not be allocated any at all, but have to pay license fees anyway
Showing posts with label ag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ag. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
ag (0616) - SFP: land capability system
the land capability system is a method of classification for land for agricultural use.
it ranges from class I to class VIII,
with class I to III suitable for cultivation
IV to VI suitable for grazing
and VII and VIII not suitable at all.
check table on sheet for details on each class.
the land is classified based on factors such as climate, soil, fertility, slope and drainage
knowledge of the land capability helps in making decisions about the practices done on the land, for example methods of cultivation (minimum till etc)
it ranges from class I to class VIII,
with class I to III suitable for cultivation
IV to VI suitable for grazing
and VII and VIII not suitable at all.
check table on sheet for details on each class.
the land is classified based on factors such as climate, soil, fertility, slope and drainage
knowledge of the land capability helps in making decisions about the practices done on the land, for example methods of cultivation (minimum till etc)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
ag (0420) - Animal: muscle, bone & fat
calves are born with muscle, bone and fat.
when they are born, skeleton is well developed, muscle is poorly developed and the calf has very little fat.
over the first 36 months, muscle develops rapidly, bone development is steady and fat development gradually rises
as an animal goes beyond maturirty, its muscle abd bone development is complete and will lay down excess fat if not fed carefully
when they are born, skeleton is well developed, muscle is poorly developed and the calf has very little fat.
over the first 36 months, muscle develops rapidly, bone development is steady and fat development gradually rises
as an animal goes beyond maturirty, its muscle abd bone development is complete and will lay down excess fat if not fed carefully
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
ag (0315) - Animal: [p] chicken embryos
today..
we cracked open chicken eggs.. WITH CHICKENS INSIDE THEM.
how weird right?
we cracked a bunch of eggs that were weaned purposely for experimental use. they were taken from their mothers/incubators (they're from a hatchery) at differnet time intervals since they were laid. this allowed us to see the different stages of fetal growth.
it was.. interesting.. there's not much ic an say.
the growth was obvious. look at table for deets.
but basically blood vessels developed first, then eyes, then limbs, beak, feathers, etc..
we cracked open chicken eggs.. WITH CHICKENS INSIDE THEM.
how weird right?
we cracked a bunch of eggs that were weaned purposely for experimental use. they were taken from their mothers/incubators (they're from a hatchery) at differnet time intervals since they were laid. this allowed us to see the different stages of fetal growth.
it was.. interesting.. there's not much ic an say.
the growth was obvious. look at table for deets.
but basically blood vessels developed first, then eyes, then limbs, beak, feathers, etc..
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ag (0309) - Animal: [p] growth & development
prac today.. not sure where the results went or how we're gonna use them, i guess that's part two.
i get the feeling i was meant to do smoething for ag..
anyway..
today was just measuring different parts of calfs/heifers and i guess we'll compare etc, maybe measure them again later.
imma just put the different parts we measured (that prac endangered my bowlz of getting kicked by calf and dirtied my shoes with poop. i love hahs -.-)
A - top of muzzle to poll
B - poll to top of tail
C - heartgirth bro
D - crap.. what was D hahaha
E - bottom of hindleg
i get the feeling i was meant to do smoething for ag..
anyway..
today was just measuring different parts of calfs/heifers and i guess we'll compare etc, maybe measure them again later.
imma just put the different parts we measured (that prac endangered my bowlz of getting kicked by calf and dirtied my shoes with poop. i love hahs -.-)
A - top of muzzle to poll
B - poll to top of tail
C - heartgirth bro
D - crap.. what was D hahaha
E - bottom of hindleg
Sunday, February 28, 2010
ag (0222) - Animal: ruminants & monogastrics
ruminants eg. cow, sheep, goat, etc have 4 stomachs. they have bacteria living inside these stomachs to help them digest, and then they digest the bacteria and obtain more nutrients and proteins from them too.
ruminants, unlike monogastrics can obtain energy from cellulose (fibre) whereas monogastric organisms only feel full from eating fibre, they cant digest cellulose.
monogastric organisms eg. pig, poultry, horse, people, etc have just one stomach where they digest everything. i guess they're more.. omnivorous too. but they dont have all the bacteria and stuff too.
they have to obtain protein from eating food with protein, meat i guess, or protein pellets for intensively housed animals such as pigs and poultry.
ruminants, unlike monogastrics can obtain energy from cellulose (fibre) whereas monogastric organisms only feel full from eating fibre, they cant digest cellulose.
monogastric organisms eg. pig, poultry, horse, people, etc have just one stomach where they digest everything. i guess they're more.. omnivorous too. but they dont have all the bacteria and stuff too.
they have to obtain protein from eating food with protein, meat i guess, or protein pellets for intensively housed animals such as pigs and poultry.
ag (0216) - Lettuce: cultivation
few notes about cultivation, we arleady know what's sustainable and what's not.
the traditional way of cultivating involves cultivating the soil like 3 or 4 times. but in more recent times, its simply zero till or minimum till. basically the ground is just cultivated once, and then sprayed with herbicide/pesticide. and later, seeds are sown.
that's the general geist of it. coz overcultivating can break up soil structure, making soil more easily eroded, also overploughing leads to plough pan, an inpenetratable layer of soil at subsoil level.
the traditional way of cultivating involves cultivating the soil like 3 or 4 times. but in more recent times, its simply zero till or minimum till. basically the ground is just cultivated once, and then sprayed with herbicide/pesticide. and later, seeds are sown.
that's the general geist of it. coz overcultivating can break up soil structure, making soil more easily eroded, also overploughing leads to plough pan, an inpenetratable layer of soil at subsoil level.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
ag (0208) - Lettuce: soil acidity
estimated 29million ha of australian soil is affected with this problem.
when it gets bad, the subsoil becomes acidic, and it becomes impractical to try fix the problem.
see ideally the soil should be pH between 6.5 and 7.5. once it gets like 4.5 - 5.3, things get a bit dodgy.
in acidic soil, nutrients such as phosphorus and magnesium are less available, and other nutrients such as aluminium and manganese become toxic.
also, in acidic soils, nodulation and nitrogen fixation is less because bactera cant survive as well in acidic environments.
lime is sitll the best way to fix acidity problems
when it gets bad, the subsoil becomes acidic, and it becomes impractical to try fix the problem.
see ideally the soil should be pH between 6.5 and 7.5. once it gets like 4.5 - 5.3, things get a bit dodgy.
in acidic soil, nutrients such as phosphorus and magnesium are less available, and other nutrients such as aluminium and manganese become toxic.
also, in acidic soils, nodulation and nitrogen fixation is less because bactera cant survive as well in acidic environments.
lime is sitll the best way to fix acidity problems
Friday, December 11, 2009
ag (1210) - Lettuce: nitrogen fixation
legumes fix nitrogen, well at least.. the rhizobium bacteria that attaches themselves to the roots does.
its a mutual relationship, the plan tgets nitrogen and the bacteria gets sugars and whatever from the plant, also an environment to live in.
legumes include plants like clover, medic (eg lucerne) and peas
its a mutual relationship, the plan tgets nitrogen and the bacteria gets sugars and whatever from the plant, also an environment to live in.
legumes include plants like clover, medic (eg lucerne) and peas
Monday, November 30, 2009
ag (1130) - Lettuce: introduced & native plants
there was a lot of little bits of info today, so instead of ranting about all of it and wasting my time, i'll just say refer to "comparison of introduced and native pasture species/pastures"
its a big table with 3 columns.
the general geist is that introduced pastures are more tasty, digestible, nutritious and contain more energy, however native plants are more resistant to weeds, extreme climate and dont necessarily need re-sowing after grazing. however they dont withstand heavy grazing as well as introduced species do.
overall native species are more sustainable coz they dont cost as much and you dont need to pay for things to protect them from weeds and climate and such as much.
one last thing we did was seeing the relationsb etween pasture quality and animal production quality.
eg. irrigating pasture will maximize photosynthesis, thus growth & nutrient uptake, making more nutritious and delicious plants, and so cows produce more milk
its a big table with 3 columns.
the general geist is that introduced pastures are more tasty, digestible, nutritious and contain more energy, however native plants are more resistant to weeds, extreme climate and dont necessarily need re-sowing after grazing. however they dont withstand heavy grazing as well as introduced species do.
overall native species are more sustainable coz they dont cost as much and you dont need to pay for things to protect them from weeds and climate and such as much.
one last thing we did was seeing the relationsb etween pasture quality and animal production quality.
eg. irrigating pasture will maximize photosynthesis, thus growth & nutrient uptake, making more nutritious and delicious plants, and so cows produce more milk
Saturday, November 28, 2009
ag (1127) - Lettuce: kgDM
using the data we've collceted, we calculated the the amount of dry matter (kgDM) in the two paddocks (1.8ha of ryegrass, 1.5ha of lucerne)
dry matter is everything in the plant that is not water (plants are 70-80% water) so this includes vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, oils, etc.
for both, we calculated approx how long each paddock would be able to feed 20x 500kg beef cows (leaving approx 15cm of the pasture leftover to regrow)
i cant rememember fully coz i dont have the sheet, it was collected.
but we had to match up our average (-15 for reserve) with a graph that deteremined the DM in each pasture plant (depending on density)
after that.. we know that beef cows eat approx 3.5% of their weight a day, so we had to work that out.. and put the total DM we get over the required DM
the result was the amount of days that the paddock could last.
thing was that not all of the pasture would be eaten though, much of it would be trampled. so these readings arent always as accurate as they can be
dry matter is everything in the plant that is not water (plants are 70-80% water) so this includes vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, oils, etc.
for both, we calculated approx how long each paddock would be able to feed 20x 500kg beef cows (leaving approx 15cm of the pasture leftover to regrow)
i cant rememember fully coz i dont have the sheet, it was collected.
but we had to match up our average (-15 for reserve) with a graph that deteremined the DM in each pasture plant (depending on density)
after that.. we know that beef cows eat approx 3.5% of their weight a day, so we had to work that out.. and put the total DM we get over the required DM
the result was the amount of days that the paddock could last.
thing was that not all of the pasture would be eaten though, much of it would be trampled. so these readings arent always as accurate as they can be
Thursday, November 26, 2009
ag (1126) - Lettuce: [p] pasture densities 2
like tuesday how we measured the density of a rye grass paddock, today we measured teh density of lucerne.
same method.
we chucked the 1m ruler at random in the paddock, wherever it landed we took a rough estimate of the height of the area of lucerne, and recorded.. then chucked again.
we have yet to compare it with the graph thingo, but lucerne could either be grown in dense or thin density, we said this crop was thin.
lucerne may not be considered to be a pasture plant due to the fact that it is not grazed, it is typically collected for making hay
same method.
we chucked the 1m ruler at random in the paddock, wherever it landed we took a rough estimate of the height of the area of lucerne, and recorded.. then chucked again.
we have yet to compare it with the graph thingo, but lucerne could either be grown in dense or thin density, we said this crop was thin.
lucerne may not be considered to be a pasture plant due to the fact that it is not grazed, it is typically collected for making hay
ag (1024) - Lettuce: pasture densities
today we did a prac/experiment.
we headed out to a paddock (one of the three rotational kept-in-good dairy paddocks near the dair, oh they do taht so the cows dont kill so much energy walking heaps far) and so we measured some random grass samples.
schippers estimated that the field was like 90% grass (most of which was rye grass, what we wanted) and about 5% white clover.
so we measured some rye grass, taking approximate measurements of areas of grass at a time.
we're yet to compile and calculate
we headed out to a paddock (one of the three rotational kept-in-good dairy paddocks near the dair, oh they do taht so the cows dont kill so much energy walking heaps far) and so we measured some random grass samples.
schippers estimated that the field was like 90% grass (most of which was rye grass, what we wanted) and about 5% white clover.
so we measured some rye grass, taking approximate measurements of areas of grass at a time.
we're yet to compile and calculate
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
ag (1118) - Lettuce: plant breeding
i dont know what i can say thats not already on the sheet/s. the sheets have a lot of examples on it.
inbred plants are all genetically the same pretty much, and after a few generations, are homozygous. ie. they all have the exact same characteristics as the parent plants
hybrid plants are bred from 2 inbred plants, and they have superior performance to their parents
open pollination is just when two selected plant varieties are just allowed to inter-breed
wide crosses takes two different species to artificially create new species. they have to be fertile to be worthwhile though.
genetic engineering is asexual, and involves direct manupularion of genes on chromosomes. this is contraversial coz some people support making plants better, others argue its not natural.
inbred plants are all genetically the same pretty much, and after a few generations, are homozygous. ie. they all have the exact same characteristics as the parent plants
hybrid plants are bred from 2 inbred plants, and they have superior performance to their parents
open pollination is just when two selected plant varieties are just allowed to inter-breed
wide crosses takes two different species to artificially create new species. they have to be fertile to be worthwhile though.
genetic engineering is asexual, and involves direct manupularion of genes on chromosomes. this is contraversial coz some people support making plants better, others argue its not natural.
Friday, November 13, 2009
ag (1113) - Lettuce: affecting growth
at first, we were analyzing graphs, pretty straight forward.
as temp increases, both photosynthesis and respiration increase.. but like after 40 it drops. and photosynthesis increases as light intensity increases, except over 30000lux
also.. plants mostly use indigo and orange light to photosynthesize, hardly use blue, green or yellow, and done use red at all.
we also talked about P = G + E again
phenotype = genotype + environment
its mostly environmental factors that affect a plant's growth.. mostly management in fact, and competition actually affects plants the least.
and letsee.. to ensure heaps of glucose is there for respiration.. just keep the plant healthy and free of pests and diseases.. understandable i guess.
heat beds in greenhouses can regulate soil temperature and irrigation still controls water levels and temperature
as temp increases, both photosynthesis and respiration increase.. but like after 40 it drops. and photosynthesis increases as light intensity increases, except over 30000lux
also.. plants mostly use indigo and orange light to photosynthesize, hardly use blue, green or yellow, and done use red at all.
we also talked about P = G + E again
phenotype = genotype + environment
its mostly environmental factors that affect a plant's growth.. mostly management in fact, and competition actually affects plants the least.
and letsee.. to ensure heaps of glucose is there for respiration.. just keep the plant healthy and free of pests and diseases.. understandable i guess.
heat beds in greenhouses can regulate soil temperature and irrigation still controls water levels and temperature
Thursday, November 12, 2009
ag (1112) - Lettuce: photosynthesis & respiration
this was our last lesson on working with the plant production topic.
first we talked about what overspraying (pesticides) can do.. it was mainly impact the enfironment.. in 4 ways:
- kills worms and other decomposers in the soil
- kills beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles, bees and predatory wasps
- kills aquatic organisms such as fish and seaweed (if getting into waterways)
- harms humans (if they drink from these waterways) and grazing livestock like cows or sheep
then we talked about photosynthesis and respiration, which we know that are pretty much each other's opposite processes.
water + CO2 -> (light energy goes in) -> glucose + oxygen
the glucose is the main product and oxygen is the byproduct
cellular respiration is the opposite
glucose + oxygen -> (ATPs released) -> water + CO2
coz oxygen is needed to release ATPs from glucose
the net assimiliation rate (NAR) refers to the rate at, which the plant grows. ie. the difference between photosynthesis and respiration. if its equal to 0, the plant just survives.. it doesnt grow.
photosynthesis and respiration is most easily controlled in greenhouses.
to control PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
- CO2 sensors detect when to pump gas into greenhouse
- temperature can be regulated with irrigation (water cools things) and airconditioning in greenhouses
- irrigation (eg drip irrigation) helps control water, and ground cover (eg mulch) helps to reduce waterloss
- light wavelength. this one is confusing. greenhouses are green to reflect green wavelength light out. plants dont need green wavelength light to photosynthesize (probably why plants are green too) and so the greenhouse reflects green light away and the rest comes in.
- to control light exposure (it cant really be controlled for field crops) but indoor crops it can be controlled by using artificial lights (to extend or control day length) tricking plants into fruiting (flowering out of season)
we didnt talk about respiration yet.. i take it we will tomorrow
first we talked about what overspraying (pesticides) can do.. it was mainly impact the enfironment.. in 4 ways:
- kills worms and other decomposers in the soil
- kills beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles, bees and predatory wasps
- kills aquatic organisms such as fish and seaweed (if getting into waterways)
- harms humans (if they drink from these waterways) and grazing livestock like cows or sheep
then we talked about photosynthesis and respiration, which we know that are pretty much each other's opposite processes.
water + CO2 -> (light energy goes in) -> glucose + oxygen
the glucose is the main product and oxygen is the byproduct
cellular respiration is the opposite
glucose + oxygen -> (ATPs released) -> water + CO2
coz oxygen is needed to release ATPs from glucose
the net assimiliation rate (NAR) refers to the rate at, which the plant grows. ie. the difference between photosynthesis and respiration. if its equal to 0, the plant just survives.. it doesnt grow.
photosynthesis and respiration is most easily controlled in greenhouses.
to control PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
- CO2 sensors detect when to pump gas into greenhouse
- temperature can be regulated with irrigation (water cools things) and airconditioning in greenhouses
- irrigation (eg drip irrigation) helps control water, and ground cover (eg mulch) helps to reduce waterloss
- light wavelength. this one is confusing. greenhouses are green to reflect green wavelength light out. plants dont need green wavelength light to photosynthesize (probably why plants are green too) and so the greenhouse reflects green light away and the rest comes in.
- to control light exposure (it cant really be controlled for field crops) but indoor crops it can be controlled by using artificial lights (to extend or control day length) tricking plants into fruiting (flowering out of season)
we didnt talk about respiration yet.. i take it we will tomorrow
Thursday, November 5, 2009
ag (1104) - Lettuce: [p] aphid under microscope
not really much theory behind today's lesson, we just looked at aphids that we picked up on the farm under microscopes.
up close they're actually pretty gross, and green ones look weird.
but we could see them movnig around, but not really sapsucking.. but yeah.
the spider was intersting though haha. eating its own leg? or cleaning it or something..
up close they're actually pretty gross, and green ones look weird.
but we could see them movnig around, but not really sapsucking.. but yeah.
the spider was intersting though haha. eating its own leg? or cleaning it or something..
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
ag (1102) - Lettuce: healthy plants
talked about a few things today
first we talked about what research does in terms of impacting plant production.
research its used to find new plant varieties (eg downy mildew resistant lettuce), machines (eg olive harvester), insecticides (eg fungal sprays), management tactics (like IPM) and planting densities and fertilizer rates.
we talked about qualitative and quantitative measurements for plants
a few qualitative factors for lettuce:
FREE OF INSECT PESTS, SNAILS AND SLUGS
- this can be achieved using pellets and insecticides
- one can clear typical hiding places of snailes etc, or use IPM which could include predatory insects such as wasps
- companion crops / aphid repellants such as parsley can be planted to keep aphids away (they dont like the smell)
UNIFORM SIZE AND HEALTHY APPEARANCE (COLOUR)
this can only be done with adequate nutrients (biggest determiner of healthy colour) and lots of water.
the last thing we did was look at pesticide labels, they all basicaly say the same thing in terms of safety. use only as directed, keep out of reach of children, call poisons info centre if you ingest it, if possible try force vomitting.
first we talked about what research does in terms of impacting plant production.
research its used to find new plant varieties (eg downy mildew resistant lettuce), machines (eg olive harvester), insecticides (eg fungal sprays), management tactics (like IPM) and planting densities and fertilizer rates.
we talked about qualitative and quantitative measurements for plants
a few qualitative factors for lettuce:
FREE OF INSECT PESTS, SNAILS AND SLUGS
- this can be achieved using pellets and insecticides
- one can clear typical hiding places of snailes etc, or use IPM which could include predatory insects such as wasps
- companion crops / aphid repellants such as parsley can be planted to keep aphids away (they dont like the smell)
UNIFORM SIZE AND HEALTHY APPEARANCE (COLOUR)
this can only be done with adequate nutrients (biggest determiner of healthy colour) and lots of water.
the last thing we did was look at pesticide labels, they all basicaly say the same thing in terms of safety. use only as directed, keep out of reach of children, call poisons info centre if you ingest it, if possible try force vomitting.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
ag (1027) - Lettuce: standard error
standard error is used in experiments to see if the varying results are caused by the factors tested or by chance.
if the difference between the means of the two sets of data is more than x2 the standard error calculated, then yes the difference is caused by the altered variables.
this was only true between 20cm x 20cm and 25cm x 25cm
the formula goes like.. well its too complicated to write here.. check book for details
if the difference between the means of the two sets of data is more than x2 the standard error calculated, then yes the difference is caused by the altered variables.
this was only true between 20cm x 20cm and 25cm x 25cm
the formula goes like.. well its too complicated to write here.. check book for details
Thursday, October 22, 2009
ag (1022) - Lettuce: environment
few things to continue from what we were doing last term.
planting windbreaks blocks plants from being damaged, eg snapped or fruit lost. windbreaks reduce loss of water through evaporation or transpiration.
planting windbreaks casts shadows that reduce light penetration (this can be bad)
high planting densities causes similar things, such as high humidity, which increases the chance of fungal disease.
we also talked about a few things about what we did in terms of the lettuce.
eg. we raised beds 1 week prior to transplanting to better drainage and grounding the roots. also, we put mushroom compost over it to increase soil strucutre, ability to hold water and add nutrients to the soil. this should have been done a month early to allow it to be worked into the soil with cultivation
planting windbreaks blocks plants from being damaged, eg snapped or fruit lost. windbreaks reduce loss of water through evaporation or transpiration.
planting windbreaks casts shadows that reduce light penetration (this can be bad)
high planting densities causes similar things, such as high humidity, which increases the chance of fungal disease.
we also talked about a few things about what we did in terms of the lettuce.
eg. we raised beds 1 week prior to transplanting to better drainage and grounding the roots. also, we put mushroom compost over it to increase soil strucutre, ability to hold water and add nutrients to the soil. this should have been done a month early to allow it to be worked into the soil with cultivation
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