Ecology Essay
Jill Payne
Mrs. Healey
Ecology
March 7, 2011
Essay
I have recently found several acres of land to plant my crops on although the land is not in the best condition. I have many concerns about planting on this land and thought of some measures throughout the upcoming years to improve the condition of my land. While thinking of these ideas to help improve my property I went back to the things I learned in the soil and agriculture chapters in my wonderful ecology class. I remembered how important finding out the pH of soil was. With this information one of my measures is to test the soil for the pH. By finding this out it can be adjusted, show if there is good availability to the plants foods, and is an important indicator of air pollutants. A second measure I would take is to use the method of conservative tillage, where farmers disturb surface topsoil and vegetation minimally. The reason I would not use no-till cultivation because it requires the use of pesticides which can harm the surrounding ecosystems. I would also use humus while preparing my land because it adds organic matter to the soil. Looking ahead I would choice to use crop rotation because the same nutrients are not depleted from the soil each season. When thinking of how I would enrich the soul I would only use natural organic fertilizers like green manure, composting, and animal manure. Chemical fertilizers have many drawbacks including they pollute underground water supply. One maim problem for farmers is soil erosion. To reduce this naturally I would plant tree and other vegetation to reduce the harsh winds around my land. One last thing I would plant is legume crops because these plants remove nitrogen in the air and fix it in their roots, they also add organic matter to the soil. With these measures in place I hope to have a successful farm and each year hope to make more organic
Mrs. Healey
Ecology
March 7, 2011
Essay
I have recently found several acres of land to plant my crops on although the land is not in the best condition. I have many concerns about planting on this land and thought of some measures throughout the upcoming years to improve the condition of my land. While thinking of these ideas to help improve my property I went back to the things I learned in the soil and agriculture chapters in my wonderful ecology class. I remembered how important finding out the pH of soil was. With this information one of my measures is to test the soil for the pH. By finding this out it can be adjusted, show if there is good availability to the plants foods, and is an important indicator of air pollutants. A second measure I would take is to use the method of conservative tillage, where farmers disturb surface topsoil and vegetation minimally. The reason I would not use no-till cultivation because it requires the use of pesticides which can harm the surrounding ecosystems. I would also use humus while preparing my land because it adds organic matter to the soil. Looking ahead I would choice to use crop rotation because the same nutrients are not depleted from the soil each season. When thinking of how I would enrich the soul I would only use natural organic fertilizers like green manure, composting, and animal manure. Chemical fertilizers have many drawbacks including they pollute underground water supply. One maim problem for farmers is soil erosion. To reduce this naturally I would plant tree and other vegetation to reduce the harsh winds around my land. One last thing I would plant is legume crops because these plants remove nitrogen in the air and fix it in their roots, they also add organic matter to the soil. With these measures in place I hope to have a successful farm and each year hope to make more organic