Download Plant and Soil Science

The Nature of:
RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE
OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE
OBJECTIVES
Identify the various roles of plants in everyday
life;
 Identify the various segments of plant and soil
science; and
 Identify important types of plants and their uses.

ROLES OF PLANTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Why do we need plants?
Food
 Food Chain
 Oxygen


Let’s list the most important uses of plants
ROLES OF PLANTS IN
EVERYDAY LIFE

Edible Plants
Whole plants
 Portions of plants


The most important – can you guess?

Grains




Wheat, rice, corn, barley
About 88% of the world’s total caloric
intake comes from plant food sources
About 80% of the world’s protein
intake comes from plant food sources
Some plants are used to make
beverages
ROLES OF PLANTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Industrial Uses

Wood


Fiber


What is it use for?
Chemicals


What is it use for?
What is it use for?
Rubber

What is it use for?
ROLES OF PLANTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Medicinal uses

Plants have played a very important role in
developing medicines
Scientists are still studying plants to understand
the chemical compounds found within them
 Some believe that some of our most deadly
diseases will be cured by an undiscovered plant
compound

ROLES OF PLANTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Oils

Many plants store oils as food in the seed or plant
itself
Some oils are used to make or produce food for
humans
 Others are used in industry


What are some oil producing plants?
SEGMENTS OF PLANT
AND SOIL SCIENCE

What makes up the top layer of the
earth’s crust?


What is soil science?


Soil
Study of structure, composition,
fertility, use, and protection of soil.
What is plant science?
Study of structure, functions, growth, and protection of plants
 Can be divided into 3 categories

SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

3 categories of Plant Science
Field Crops
 Forestry
 Horticulture Crops

SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Field Crops

Plants (other than fruits and veggies) grown in large
fields and are used for agricultural purposes

oil, fiber, grain, etc…
Corn and wheat are often grown for their seed but
other parts of the plant can be used
 Agronomy specializes in field crops and their
relations with the soil

SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Forestry

Science of growing trees and producing wood
products


What are some wood products?
Tree Farms are cultured forests that are carefully
planned
SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Horticulture Crops
Grown for food, comfort, and beauty
 Two major areas of horticulture are

Ornamental Horticulture
 Food Crop Horticulture

SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Ornamental Horticulture
Plants used for their beauty
 Floriculture


Use of plants for the flowers and foliage
 Foliage is the stems and leaves
SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Ornamental Horticulture

Landscape Horticulture
Growing and using plants to make outdoor environment more
appealing
 Shrubs, flowering plants, lawn areas

SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Ornamental Horticulture

Interiorscaping

Plants inside buildings to
create an attractive indoor
environment
SEGMENTS OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE

Food Crop Horticulture
Growing plants for food
 Includes orchards and gardens

FOOD CROP HORTICULTURE

Food Crop Horticulture

Olericulture


Science of producing vegetable crops
Pomology

Science of producing fruit and nuts
TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT
(NEED A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER)

For each area of plant science, list 5 crops that
are grown.

Field crops, Floriculture, Landscape, Interiorscape,
Olericulture, Pomology, Forestry.
Circle the plant in each section that you would be
most interested in learning about.
 Choose 2 areas of plant science that interest you
and write a paragraph about each one explaining
why you are interested, what kind of crops do you
want to grow, etc…

TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES


Very few wild plants play an important role in
everyday life
Plant Domestication is removing plants from
their native environment and growing them
under controlled conditions
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Seven categories of important domesticated
plants in North America

They are all field and horticulture crops
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Grain Crops

Plants grown for an edible seed


Does not include nuts
Cereal Grains is the seed of grass-type plants grown
for food and animal feed
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Sugar Crops

Source of sucrose


Sucrose is a carbohydrate that provides energy
Major sugar crops
Sugar beets
 Sugar cane


Can you think of other sources of sugar?
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Oil Crops

Grown for the vegetable oil in their seeds and fruits

Major oil crops for the U.S. are:
Soybeans
 Cotton
 Canola
 Corn

TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Fiber Crops

Grown for the fiber harvested from their fruit, stems,
or leaves

What are fibers?


Threadlike structures used to manufacture cloth, paper,
and other things
What is the major fiber crop?
Cotton
 Others include flax, hemp, jute, and ramie

TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Vegetable, Fruit, and Nut Crops

Primarily grown for food
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Forage Crops
Forage: leaves and stems of plants used for animal
feed
 Primarily grasses or legumes

Grasses are non-woody plants that have parallel veins in
their leaves
 Legumes are broad-leaf plants that have the potential to
fix nitrogen from air in the soil


Forages can be grazed or harvested and stored for
later feeding
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Ornamental and Turf Crops

Ornamental Crops: flowers, shrubs, vines, and
other plants grown for beauty and appeal

Turf Crops: provide a pleasing look and protect the
soil
Usually grasses
 What are they protecting the soil from?

TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR USES

Other crops
These just don’t fit in any other group
 Beverages

Coffee, tea, use your imagination
 Herbs, spices, or medicine
