Agronomy Definition and It's Scope

 Agronomy meaning and scopes 

 

Harvesting of Crops, Credits: vkjdsbvsdkjvkds.com

Agronomy is the science and technology of growing and harvesting plants for food, fuel, fiber, recreation, and environmental restoration in agriculture. Plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science all fall under the umbrella of agronomy. It is the application of a variety of sciences such as biology, chemistry, economics, geography, geology, and genetics.

Agronomists today are interested in a variety of topics, including food production, healthier food production, agricultural environmental impact management, agricultural distribution, recreation surfaces (sports fields, golf courses, and parks), and plant energy extraction.

Crop rotation, irrigation and drainage, plant breeding, plant physiology, soil classification, soil fertility, weed control, turfgrass, and insect and pest control are all fields where agronomists specialize.

 

Plant breeding

Selective breeding of plants is used in this field of agronomy to grow the best crops under different conditions. Plant breeding has enhanced the nutritional value of many crops, including corn, soybeans, and wheat, and increased crop yields. It has also resulted in the growth of new plant species.

Crossbreeding rye and wheat, for example, yielded triticale, a hybrid crop. Triticale has a higher available protein content than rye or wheat. Fruit and vegetable processing research have also benefited from agronomy. Furthermore, in turfgrass research, the use of plant breeding has resulted in lower fertilizer and water input requirements, as well as turf varieties that are more disease resistant.

 

Soil science

Agronomists work on long-term solutions to make soils more nutritious and profitable all over the world. They identify and evaluate soils to see if they contain nutrients essential for plant development. Compounds of nitrogen, magnesium potassium, Sulphur, phosphorus, and calcium are among the macronutrients studied. Several micronutrients, such as zinc and boron, are also tested in the soil.

A regional laboratory tests the percentage of organic matter, soil pH, and nutrient holding potential (cation exchange capacity). These lab findings will be interpreted by agronomists, who will make recommendations for balancing soil nutrients for optimal plant growth.

 

Soil conservation

Agronomists also create techniques for preserving soil and reducing the impact of wind and water erosion. Contour ploughing, for example, can be used to avoid soil erosion while still conserving rainfall. Agronomists are still looking for ways to make better use of the soil to solve other issues.

The management of human and animal waste, water contamination, and pesticide build-up in the soil are examples of such issues. As well as preserving the soil for future generations, such as by burning paddocks after crop harvesting. No-till cultivation, planting soil-binding grasses along contours on steep slopes, and using contour drains with depths up to one meter are all examples of pasture management techniques.

 

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is used by agronomists to expand and speed up the growth of desired traits. Biotechnology is frequently a lab practice that necessitates field testing of newly created crop varieties. Agronomic biotechnology is increasingly being used for non-food applications in addition to growing crop yields. Oilseed, for example, is currently primarily used to make margarine and other food oils, but it can be modified to manufacture fatty acids for detergents, alternative fuels, and petrochemicals.

Agronomy's Importance

Since the management of soil and water to achieve the production potential of high-yielding varieties in the green revolution is exclusively an agronomic area, agronomy is the backbone of all agricultural sciences.

Agronomy is the mother branch or main branch of agriculture, and it holds a pivotal role among all the branches. It is an integrated and applied component of various disciplines of pure sciences, similar to agriculture.

Agronomists may combine production methods from several fields of expertise. The issue of global food security has yet to be resolved. When the world's population grows, so does the demand for food, although key ingredients in food products such as cultivated land and freshwater continue to decline.

Current trends in world agriculture indicate that it is important to grow it scientifically and rationally, one that can not only steadily increase production but also ensure long-term resource sustainability while fostering agricultural growth. Crop Science, Soil Science, and Environmental Science are three distinct divisions that only deal with applied aspects. (i.e., the relationship between soil, seed, and environment.)

Crop Science, which includes plant genetics, crop morphology, and biochemistry, as well as soil science, includes soil fertilizers, manures, and environmental science, includes meteorology and crop ecology, is a combination of many disciplines of agriculture.  

Meteorology

Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences that focuses on weather forecasting and includes atmospheric chemistry and physics. The science of meteorology dates back centuries, but it was not until the 18th century that substantial progress was made. Since weather observation networks were developed across vast areas in the 19th century, there was some development in the region.

Weather forecasting in the past relied on historical evidence. Breakthroughs in weather forecasting did not occur until the latter half of the twentieth century, after the elucidation of the laws of physics and, more specifically, the invention of the computer, which allowed for the automated solution of a large number of equations that model the weather.

Marine weather forecasting, as it relates to maritime and coastal protection, is an important area of weather forecasting, in which weather affects also involve atmospheric interactions with large bodies of water.

Meteorological phenomena are weather conditions that can be detected and explained by meteorology. The variables of Earth's atmosphere: temperature, air pressure, water vapor, mass flow, and their variations and interactions, as well as how they evolve, are used to explain and quantify meteorological phenomena. Different spatial scales are used to describe and predict weather on local, regional, and global levels.

Crop ecology

Crop Ecology focuses on the 'development processes' of crops and pastures, such as photosynthesis and water and nutrient use in the field. Crop Ecology is unusual in that it treats development processes and systems issues in a way that is both broad and deep.

Scope of Agronomy

With the development of science and a better understanding of the planet, atmosphere, and agriculture, agronomy is a significant necessity. In the following regions, agronomy science becomes important in agriculture.

1. It is necessary to determine the best season for the cultivation of a wide range of crops, which can only be accomplished by the use of agronomy research.

2. The availability and application of chemical fertilizers have necessitated the development of expertise to reduce the negative effects of excessive application and yield losses caused by the non-scientific application.

3. To reduce the value of cultivation while growing yield and economic returns, proper cultivation methods are required.

4. The availability of herbicides for weed control has resulted in the creation of a vast body of knowledge about selectivity, application time, and process.

5. Water management activities play a larger role in the current water demand crisis, and agronomy research provides answers to questions like "how to apply?" and 'when to apply?’.

6. The most critical aspects of crop production that can only be made possible by agronomy research are packages of activities to exploit the full potential of the new types of crops.

7. The need for the day and adequate time and space intensification not only improves assembly but also decreases environmental hazards.

8. Agronomy is exploring new technologies to combat the effects of moisture stress in dryland environments, and future agriculture will depend on dryland agriculture.

9. The variety of agronomy is being expanded by keeping farm implements in good working order and using efficient methods to alleviate the current labor shortage.

10. Only by recognizing agronomic principles it is possible to preserve ecological balance by efficient management of crops, livestock, and their feedings in a reasonable manner.

11. Agronomy regulates the care and disposal of farm and animal products such as milk and poultry, as well as the proper accounting of all farm business transactions.

Reference List

Wikipedia of Agronomy (22 March 2021), Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agronomy#:~:text=Agronomy%20is%20the%20science%20and,%2C%20meteorology%2C%20and%20soil%20science.

Agronomy and its Importance, Scope, Basic Principles, and Relation. By EXPLORE AGRICULTURE

https://exploreagriculture.com/agronomy/

Wikipedia of Meteorology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorology

Crop Ecology Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems, available at:

https://www.nhbs.com/crop-ecology-book#:~:text=Crop%20Ecology%20is%20centred%20on,production%20processes%20and%20systems%20problems.

 

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