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The Role of Cultivated Plants in the Living World
Crop Science 1Fall 2004
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Who are Plant Scientists?
• The first plant scientists were those who:– Observed how plants grew– Developed ideas about the process and how to
improve it– Tested those ideas– Came to conclusions
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What if there were no Plants?
• Without animals plants would survive and/or flourish
• Without plants all animals would die• Without humans most farmed plants would
become extinct
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Plants as a Food Source
• Plants – autotrophic use sun energy to create food
• Animals – heterotrophic depend upon plants for their food
• Photosynthesis – Carbon dioxide (air) + water (roots) = carbohydrates
• Photosynthesis occurs in leaves and other green parts (chloroplasts)
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Cultivation
• Definition: the growing or tending of crops• Cultivation came into use about 18,000 years ago
(10,000 years after modern humans)• 18,000 years ago – Egypt - Cereals (Wheat,
Barley)• 6,000 years ago – Europe – Cereals• 5,000 years ago – Mexico – Corn• 3,500 years ago – South America – Potatoes • 3,500 years ago - Far East - Rice
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Feeding the World’s Population
• Cereal Crops• Roots and Tubers• Oil Crops• Sugar• Fruit Crops• Vegetable Crops
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Cereal Crops
• Wheat• Maize (Corn)• Rice• Barley• Oats• Sorghum• Rye• Millet• Over ½ the world’s food
supply comes from these
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Roots and Tubers
• Potatoes• Sweet Potatoes• Cassavas
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Oil Crops
• Soybeans• Corn• Peanuts• Palm• Coconut• Sunflowers• Olive• Safflower
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Sugar
• Sugar Cane• Sugar Beets
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Fruit Crops
• Bananas• Oranges• Apples• Pears• Etc.
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Vegetable Crops
• Lettuce• Carrots• Broccoli• Asparagus• Etc.
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Table 1-1
RankCalories
Produced per Unit Area
Protein Produced per
Unit Area1 Sugar Cane Soybeans2 Potato Potato3 Sugar Beets Corn4 Corn Peanuts5 Rice Sorghum6 Sorghum Peas7 Sweet Potato Beans8 Barley Rice9 Peanuts Barley10 Winter Wheat Winter Wheat
Some Important Food Crops Ranked According to Calorie and Protein Production per
Unit of Land Area
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Energy Transformation
• 22 pounds of grain to produce 2.2 pounds of beef• Bushel of grain = protein requirement for 23
people– If fed to chickens energy for 2 and protein requirement
for 8 people• Animals consume grain that is not edible to
humans and produce protein of a higher quality and provide necessary minerals and vitamins
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Past and Present
• 1970’s brink of famine, ecological disaster• 1980’s reversal of projection• Reversal was achieved by:
– Agricultural research available to developing countries– New Cultivars – cultivated varieties (wheat, corn, rice)
• By 2009, food consumption in nearly ½ of the developing countries will not meet nutritional standards
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Non-Food Benefits
• Wood and wood products– Building material, fuel, landscape, paper, etc.
• Textiles from fiber-producing crops– Clothing, rope, twine, burlap and etc.
• Drugs and medicines– Aspirin from willow trees, codeine from
poppies, tobacco
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Non-Food Benefits
• Industrial– Latex from rubber tree– Pitch, turpentine and resin from pine trees
• Aesthetic– Perfumes and spices
• Environmental– Erosion control– Oxygen
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Challenges for the Future
• New challenges more social than production
• Starvation Exists – social, political reasons• Increased GMO’s (genetically modified
organisms)– Round-up Ready, Flavr Savr, Rice w/vitamin A
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Lab Assignment
• Divide into Groups of 3-4• Using the internet research:
– World Food Supply – 1800-2010– World Population – 1800-2010– U.S. Corn Yield – 1700-2010– Average U.S. Farm Size – 1700-2010– Average World Farm Size – 1700-2010– Top 25 Commodities in U.S. 2000– Pick 3 California Counties – top 10 commodities
• Email [email protected]