| A | B |
|---|
| Erosion | Loss of soil arrived away by wind or water |
| Salinization | Increased content of salts in the soil as a result of irrigation and use of synthetic fertilizers |
| Leaching | Percolation of soil downwards between soil particles |
| Decomposition | Chemical breakdown of organic matter by decomposers |
| Humus | Decomposed organic matter in soil |
| Silt | Mid sized soil particles deposited out of water carrying suspended soil |
| Clay | Smallest soil particles allowing lowest rate leaching |
| Sand | Largest soil particles with highest rate leaching |
| Loam | Soil having similar proportions silt, sand, clay |
| Desertification | Loss of 10+% plant growth capacity of soil due to erosion, overgrazing, compaction, nutrient or water depletion |
| Crop rotation | Altering plant species on land to retain nutrient content |
| No-till farming | Leaving previous season's plant debris in place when planting a new crop |
| Terracing | Method of reducing erosion using tiered, walled, raised soil plots |
| Fertilizer | Organic matter or synthrtically produced nitrogen or phosphorous compounds to replenish soil nutrients |
| Irrigation | Adding water to crops |
| Compost | Humus formed from organic matter left to decay anaerobically |
| Litter layer | Top soil horizon comprised of decaying organic matter and decomposers organisms |
| Topsoil | The 2nd soil horizon where plants grow-100 or more years per inch formation |
| Overgrazing | Allowing animals to remove vegetation more rapidly than it can be regrown |
| Bedrock | Lowest layer of soil horizon, giving rise to higher layers as it is broken down into smaller particles |
| Contour farming | Directing plowed rows perpendnicular to the direction of water runoff to reduce erosion |
| Causes of desertification | Erosion, over grazing, forest removal, Salinization, climate change, compaction, nutrient and water depletion |
| Dust bowl | 1930s agricultural disaster due to soil damaging agricultural practices |
| Processes that form soil | Weathering, deposition, decomposition |
| Deposition | Drop off of eroded soil at a new position |
| Soil characteristics | Color, texture, structure, pH |
| Ways to conserve soil during farming | Intercropping,crop rotation, shelter belts, no-tilling, terracing, contouring |
| Clear cutting | Removal of all trees, causing severe erosion if on steep slopes |
| Pesticides | Insect killing chemicals used to increase crop yields |
| Green revolution | Technologically enhanced industrialized farming practices for high crop yielld, but high soil damage |
| Biological pest control | Use of natural pest enemies, like wasp that lay eggs in caterpilllars |
| Bt | Soil bacteria protein that kills some insects & that has been added to some gmo crops |
| Pollinator | Animal that transfers pollen between different plants |
| GMO | Genetically modified organisms |
| Sustainable agriculture | Food production that depletes soil at a rate lower than soil formation |
| Ways to prevent salinization | Plant low water species in dry regions, add water directly to roots by drip irrigation, use compost instead of synthetic fertilizer |
| Possible costs of Gmo use in agriculture | High seed costs, Spread of pollen or seeds spreads new dan to unintended crops or natural plant, development of super pests resistant to bt...the pesticide now used by organic farmers |
| Possible benefits of GMO use in agriculture | Reduced need for fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, water, tolerance to saline soil, highwr yields, added food nutrients |
| Advantaged of feedlots | More efficient meat production, lower meat cost, less overgrazin, organic manure |
| Disadvantage of feedlots | Antibiotics in food to prevent infectious disease outbreaks, animal stress, fecal contamination of runoff, inhumane |
