Download CLASSES OF PLANT FEEDS

Intro to Agronomy
• Agronomy
–Specialization of agriculture
concerned w/ the theory &
practice of field-crop
production & soil management.
The scientific management of
land (The Nature & Properties
of Soils).
• Science of soils & field
crops (Agriscience
Fundamentals &
Applications).
• The art and science of
crop production & soil
management (Plant
Science: Growth,
Development, &
Utilization of Cultivated
Plants).
A Brief History of Agronomy
in the Northeast
• Forests & first settlers
• European settlement – settlers
grow their own food
(SUBSISTENCE)
• Land clearing
• Livestock are scavengers –
fenced out instead of fenced in
• Crop economy – started to grow extra
crops in order to sell them for the next
year’s supplies
– Exported grains (whiskey and flour)
– Livestock fed the byproducts from the
grains
– Soil Problems (around 1800)– many farmers were having problems
growing wheat due to erosion,
diseases, pests, weeds, & poor soil
minerals (there was no lime or
fertilizer!)
Many fields were
abandoned
This led to the growing of grass for
pasturing animals (livestock were
now being fed for production)
– Solve the Winter Feeding Problem
– (around 1800) – corn silage was made,
which made it possible for year round
milking
– Farmers concentrated on farming the
“good” land & managing the “bad land
as pastures or forests
Modern Times
• Many forage & grass varieties are
grown
• Chemicals play a huge part in
production
• Machinery & technology explosion
• More emphasis on the environment &
management
Seeds
• 3 Main Parts of a Seed
–Embryo (young plant)
–Food Supply
–Seed Coat
Seeds
• Seed Parts/Functions
• Monocot
– Seed Coat – encloses seed parts &
protects them
– Endosperm – portion of food
supply that is stored outside of the
embryo & serves as a food supply
during germination (dicots have no
endosperm)
• Embryo – the young plant formed
when an egg cell is fertilized by
pollen, sometimes an embryo may be
dormant until germination occurs
• Dicot
– Radicle – develops into the primary
root
– Primary Root – grows out of the
uppermost root hair & grows
downward into the soil
• Hypocotyl – also grows out of the
uppermost root hair, but grows
upward through the soil & develops
into a cotyledon
• Stem – the part of the plant which
grows out of cotyledon
• Germination
–When a seed goes from a dormant
stage into an active one; there
must be favorable conditions
Favorable Conditions for
Germination
• Temperature of soil
• Moisture of soil
• Oxygen & air in soil
• Depth of planting
• Type/make up of soil
• Erosion/slope
• Past growing history
Stages of Germination
• Favorable conditions
• Swelling of the seed due to
absorbing water from the soil
• Starches in the seed are changed
into sugars, the plant uses these
sugars as a food source until it
can make its own food
VOCABULARY
• Monocot- have one cotyledon, or
seed leaf
–Ex: corn, oats, rye, bromegrass,
wheat, barley, timothy
• Dicot- have 2 cotyledons or seed
leaves
–Ex: alfalfa, peas, cotton, clover,
soybeans, potatoes
VOCABULARY
• Cotyledon- leaf-like structures
at the first node on a seedling
stem
• Node- Enlarged portion of a
stem where leaves are attached
and buds are located
• Internodes- region between
nodes
CLASSES OF PLANT
FEEDS
1. Forage- leaves and stems of
grasses, legumes, and cereals
2. Grains- seeds of cereals
3. Roots and Tubers- turnips,
beets
4. Byproducts- cereal seed coats,
animal by products
FORAGE
• Also called roughages
• Course feeds that are high in
fiber and low in energy
• Less digestible than
concentrates
• Make up most of a ration, most
likely as hay or silage
FORAGES BROKEN
DOWN INTO…
1. Grasses
– Characteristics:
• Monocots, long narrow leaves,
endosperm with a seed coat
– EX: corn, wheat, barley, oats,
rye, orchard grass, timothy
FORAGES BROKEN
DOWN INTO…
2. Legumes
– Characteristics:
• Dicots, have three leaves, no
endosperm, bacteria
(rhizobia) in roots able to help
make nitrogen
–EX: clover, alfalfa
CONCENTRATE
• Also called grains
• Feed that are high in energy
and low in fiber
• Contains a lot of starches
• Can be high in protein as
well