3. Branches of Agriculture

 Branches of Agriculture

    Agriculture is a very vast field but here we discussed 19 major branches of agriculture that are used often. These are discussed below:

1. Agronomy
2. Horticulture
3. Plant Pathology
4. Plant breeding and genetics 
5. Entomology
6. Seed science
7. Crop physiology
8. Plant protection
9. Soil sciences 
10. Agriculture biotechnology
11. Agriculture Engineering
12. Agriculture Economics 
13. Forestry
14. Food science and technology
15. Land and water management
16. Agricultural Microbiology
17. Environmental Sciences 
18. Animal husbandry
19. Agricultural chemistry

 

 

Briefly, a discussion of each field is given below:

1. Agronomy: 

    The cultivation of crops for food, fiber, forage, and sugar production falls under the purview of this agricultural branch. Its main goal is to improve agricultural productivity and advance cropping methods, making it a crucial and fundamental aspect of agriculture. This field encompasses a diverse range of agricultural practices, which includes but is not limited to permaculture, aquaponics, and polyhouse farming.

Agronomy is further divided into 2 branches:

• Weed science:

    This discipline focuses on the growth and management of vegetation in diverse settings, such as agricultural areas, natural zones, and urban and critical regions.

• Organic farming:

   Organic farming is a technique for cultivating plants and raising animals in a natural and sustainable way. This practice prioritizes the use of biological materials, promotes soil fertility and ecological stability, minimizes waste, and reduces environmental pollution. Additionally, organic farming encompasses the study of microgreens, among other areas.

2. Horticulture:

    This agricultural branch pertains to the cultivation of plants that have direct use to humans, such as for food, medicine, and aesthetic purposes.

This branch also has the following subbranches:

• Pomology:

    The cultivation of fruits is the focus of pomology.

• Olericulture:

   while the cultivation of vegetables is known as olericulture. 

• Floriculture:

    Floriculture, on the other hand, pertains to the cultivation of roses and other ornamental plants. 

• Arboriculture:

  Horticulture is a branch of agriculture that deals with the selection, planting, care, and removal of trees, shrubs, and other perennial woody plants.

• Landscaping:

    Deals with the production, presentation, and care of landscapes and other flowers and plants. 

• Viticulture:

    The cultivation and retailing of grapes are known as viticulture. 

3. Plant Pathology:

  This agricultural branch focuses on the causes of diseases and instabilities in plants, as well as methods for treating plant diseases. It involves an in-depth examination of how plant pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms, attack plants and the measures that can be taken to control their spread.

4. Plant Breeding and Genetics:

    This agricultural field involves the application of scientific and artistic techniques to modify the genetic structure and traits of plants, with the aim of achieving desired characteristics. By utilizing these techniques, it is possible to develop a wide range of crop varieties with improved resistance to pests and diseases, resulting in increased agricultural productivity.

5. Entomology:

  This field of agriculture pertains to the study of insects and other pests that significantly impact agricultural practices. It involves a detailed examination of the biological characteristics, behavior, and ecological interactions of various pests, as well as the measures that can be taken to manage their populations and mitigate their harmful effects on crops.

Further discussion of entomology is given below: 

• Insect Ecology:

    This area of agriculture focuses on exploring the relationship between insects and their surrounding environment. It involves in-depth research and analysis of various ecosystems to understand the existence, behavior, and ecological interactions of insects in their natural habitats. 

• Insect Morphology:

   This agricultural branch is concerned with the study of the external body parts of insects and their functions. It focuses on the anatomy and morphology of insects, particularly the structure and function of their outer body parts.

• Insect physiology: 

   This field of agriculture focuses on the study of the different physiological functions and behavioral systems of insects. It involves an in-depth analysis of the diverse behaviors exhibited by insects in their natural environment and how these behaviors are related to their physiological processes.

• Insect Toxicology: 

    This agricultural field pertains to the study of the effects of insecticides and other chemicals on the physiological functions of insects. It involves an in-depth examination of how these chemicals interact with the biological systems of insects, and the impact that these interactions have on their behavior and health.

• Insect Taxonomy: 

    Insect taxonomy is a practice of insect naming. 

• Biological Control Entomology: 

   This agricultural practice involves the use of living insects to control or eliminate populations of harmful insects. It is a highly effective technique with significant economic benefits.

• Forest Entomology: 

    This agricultural field pertains to the study of the effects of insects on forests and forest products, as well as the development of solutions to protect forest trees from significant damage. It involves an in-depth examination of the ecological interactions between insects and forest ecosystems and the impact that these interactions have on forest health and productivity.

• Forensic Entomology: 

    This branch of agriculture involves the study of insects for legal purposes, with a focus on the use of insects to determine the time and location of human death. It involves an in-depth examination of the ecological interactions between insects and decomposing human remains, and how this can be used to provide critical information for forensic investigations.

6. Seed science: 

    This agricultural branch is concerned with the study of the structure of seeds and their growth habitats, starting from fertilization, embryonic development, and subsequent growth into a mature plant. It is closely related to the fields of biotechnology and botany and involves an in-depth examination of the genetic and physiological mechanisms that regulate seed development and growth.

7. Crop Physiology: 

   This agricultural field pertains to the study of the functions and responses of plants to various environmental conditions, including factors such as temperature, water availability, nutrient levels, and atmospheric composition. It involves an in-depth examination of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms that regulate plant growth and development in different environmental contexts.

 

8. Plant Protection: 

      Plant protection refers to the various methods and techniques used to protect plants from pests, diseases, and other forms of damage, and to ensure their optimal growth and productivity. It includes a range of practices, such as the use of pesticides, biological controls, and cultural and mechanical techniques, as well as the development of disease-resistant plant varieties and the implementation of good agricultural practices to prevent plant stress and maintain plant health.

9. Soil sciences: 

    Soil science is a field of study that focuses on the properties, composition, and characteristics of soil, as well as the biological, physical, and chemical processes that occur within it. It involves an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on knowledge from fields such as geology, chemistry, biology, and physics to understand the formation, structure, and function of soils. Soil scientists examine the physical and chemical properties of soils, as well as their interactions with the atmosphere, water, and plants, and use this knowledge to develop sustainable practices for managing soil resources and maintaining soil health.

Sub-Branches of soil sciences are:

• Soil Biology:

    This branch of study concerns the organisms that inhabit the earth, their biology, functions, and activities. It includes a wide range of living organisms, such as nematodes, insects, and other types of fauna and flora. The focus of this field is to understand the relationships and interactions between organisms and their environment, including their roles in various ecosystems, their behaviors, and the impact of human activities on their populations.

• Soil Mineralogy: 

  This branch of study focuses on the various types of primary and secondary minerals found in soil and their contribution to the physical and chemical structure of the soil. It also includes the study of soil fertility and the various biological processes that occur within the soil, including nutrient cycling, microbial interactions, and the impact of human activities on soil health. 

• Soil Pedology: 

    Soil formation is the result of a complex process that involves the weathering of rocks and minerals, as well as various biological, chemical, and physical factors that influence the formation of soil. 

10. Agriculture biotechnology: 

  This branch of science involves the use of advanced scientific techniques and tools, such as genetic engineering, molecular markers, vaccines, and tissue culture, to manipulate the genetic material of living organisms for the purpose of improving or developing new organisms, such as crops and livestock.

11. Agriculture engineering: 

    It works with agriculture machinery for preparation, sowing, harvesting, and post-harvesting operations counting water and soil protection technologies and bioenergy.

This branch is further divided into 3 subs. branches which are given below: 

• Agricultural mechanization
• Farm power and machinery
• Farm structure

12. Agriculture economics:

    An applied economic field that studies human behavior concerning the relationship between food and fiber production and distribution.

13. Forestry:

    It is engaged in the extensive cultivation/farming of perennial plants for the supply of rubber, timber, etc. as well as industrial raw materials.

It has the following 6 branches: 

• Agroforestry
• Rangeland management
• Wildlife management
• Analog forestry
• Forest gardening
• Forest farming

14. Food science and technology:

    It uses a variety of approaches to study the composition of food, processing, packaging, and selection of existing food products.

Branches: 

• Food and nutrition

15. Land and water management:

    It is the process of management and expansion of land resources. Resources are mainly used for organic farming, water management, reforestation, and ecotourism projects.

Branches:

• Soil and water conservation
• Irrigation and drainage

16. Agriculture microbiology:

    This branch of microbiology deals with the study of microorganisms that are responsible for causing diseases in plants and animals. It also involves the study of soil microbiology, particularly the role of microorganisms in restoring soil fertility through processes such as microbial decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling in the soil.

17. Environmental Sciences:

    The field mixes biological, physical, and informational science in the study of the environment and solving ecological problems.

Branches: 

• Energy and environment
• Agro meteorology

18. Animal Husbandry:

    Branch of agriculture engaged in the agriculture exercise of breeding and rearing livestock to provide people with food, energy (drafts), and crop manure.

Branches: 

• Dairy farming
• Sericulture
• Fishery
• Mariculture
• Nematology
• Apiculture
• Poultry
• Nomadic pastoralism

19. Agriculture Chemistry:

    This branch of agriculture deals with the chemistry involved in agriculture, including organic and biochemistry, food processing, and the production of desired foods and beverages. It also involves the use of chemistry in environmental restoration.

References:

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7.Plant Breeding and Genetics and their Importance

Definitions and brief introduction:

    Plant breeding is the science-driven innovative technique of growing new plant types that goes by way of numerous names such as cultivar improvement, crop improvement, and seed improvement. Breeding entails the creation of multi-era genetically multiple populations on which human choice is practiced to create tailored flowers with new combos of particularly applicable trends. The choice process is pushed using biological evaluation in relevant goal environments and knowledge of genes and genomes.   Development is classified primarily based on advantage underneath selection, which is a characteristic of genetic version, selection intensity, and time.

    Plant breeding is the application of genetic ideas to produce plant life that is of greater benefit to humans. This is finished by way of deciding on flowers located to be economically or aesthetically appropriate, first by way of controlling the mating of decided on people, after which through choosing sure individuals the various progeny. Such procedures, repeated over many generations, can exchange the hereditary makeup and price of a plant populace a long way beyond the herbal limits of previously present populations.

 "Plant Breeding is the artwork and science of the genetic development of plant life."

“Plant Breeding is the art and science of converting vegetation developments to produce desired characteristics."

 "Plant Breeding is the genetic development of flora for human advantage." 

https://youtu.be/OGfuWsb9nFw

By watching this video you can easily understand the concept of Plant breeding and genetics.

Grand Challenge:

    Human life depends on flora for food, feed, fiber, fuel, aesthetics, and environmental offerings consisting of recycling carbon dioxide (CO2). Some of humanity’s grand challenges are met, as a minimum in part, through stepped-forward plants: feeding and nourishing a growing human population, helping a biobased economic system, managing and assisting in mitigating climate alternate, and maintaining the surroundings. Looking pragmatically at the beyond and strategically to destiny, this paper specializes in the role and important importance of innovation in plant breeding to satisfy the grand undertaking of being able to provide meals and nutritional protection to humankind a long time in advance. Improved vegetation also is used as the source of fiber, timber, and amenity plant life including flora and turf grasses.

How Plant Breeder works:

    There is an urgent need to increase agricultural productivity to satisfy humanity's grand challenges. Indeed stated, cutting-edge upgrades in crop production thru genetics and agronomy are not sufficient (less than half of what is needed) to guide the human activities anticipated because of population growth and increased prosperity by way of 2050 (e.g., the predicted nine billion human beings of 2050 will eat the rural products equal to twelve billion humans of today. Furthermore, while superb development is being made in a few crop plants, now not all crops currently proportion similarly in those advances, which may add significantly lessen the diversity of picks that human beings can have within their destiny. Really believe a salad of the future with its various veggies, culmination, and nuts if the maximum of the scientific advances is made simplest inside the principal crops of the world (e.g., maize, wheat, rice).

    The domestication of crop vegetation has provided sustainable meals and feed delivery to meet the challenges of a growing international populace as civilization advanced over the last 8,000– 10,000 years. Plant breeding has persisted and improved that technique to address present-day demanding situations. The process of enhancing crop development, concerning a given species, generally involves numerous steps: 

(1) defining the trends to be progressed.

(2) identifying germplasm with preferred developments and favorable genes that can make a contribution to a progressed cultivar (i.e., figuring out parents); 

(3) crossing/intermating selected mother and father.

(4) comparing and choosing the notable progeny of intermated plant life (which may be repeated for numerous generations). 

(5) discipline checking out in the potential market location to determine if the overall performance of any selected progeny is sufficient to warrant the release of an advanced cultivar. 

    Depending on the breeding or propagation system for the crop, a new excessive-acting line can be used immediately as a new cultivar, as a factor determining a hybrid crop or populace, or as parental breeding stock to increase further improved germplasm. The ultimate purpose of plant breeding is to enhance crop overall performance for developments or defined traits of a plant that can be under genetic control. Features contributing to a selected product target might encompass the ones crucial for crop productivity (e.g., yield; adaptation to specific local surroundings; disorder and pest resistance; tolerance to abiotic pressure factors like drought, warmth, or bloodless), for crop processing and marketing (e.g., milling or baking/cooking/fermentation best, biofuel yield, visible enchantment, postharvest garage capability, shelf existence), and for client nice (e.g., flavor, protein content material, oil profile, fiber excellent, nutritional values.

Scope of Plant breeding and genetics:

I) Genetic manipulation of the populace by way of increasing the frequency of ideal alleles in pass-pollinated plants and introducing male sterile in self-pollinated crops like wheat and Rice.

II) intensive breeding of pulses and oil seed vegetation because it turned into finished cereals and other crops.

III) right breeding methods with stepped-forward crop management practices.

IV) Use of heritability strategies with advanced crop management practices.

V) improvement of progressed high-yielding kinds of vegetable and seed plants.

VI) best development in Oil seed and greens.

VII) Use of transgenic vegetation as a medication. e.g. Potato.

VIII) development of types that are appropriate for mechanical threshing and cultivation.

https://youtu.be/iCTky-jgEAQ

Importance of Plant breeding:

 To feed the people and the planet.

 To adapt plant varieties too:

1.         New desires:

•           purchaser’s flavor (bitter, seedless)

•           food diversity

•           New intake habits

•           growing location (rural vs. City or urban)

•           Mechanization.

2.         New uses:

•           electricity Biofuel

•           industry e.g. Sugar, oilseed rape

•           environment (e.g. Water performance, phytoremediation)

•           To sell, inspire and protect innovation

•           impact on breeder’s network (variety – resident/non‐resident, range, funding in R&D)

•           switch generation and innovation to all (for the benefit of society)

•           Farmers (ensuring exceptional of the product)

•           purchasers (e.g. Flower enterprise)

References:

https://www.plantbreeding.org/content/what-is-plant-breeding

https://www.cast-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CAST_IP57_Plant_Breeding_and_Geneti_3AD033F3C1763.pdf

https://www.upov.int/edocs/mdocs/upov/en/upov_trainer_en_16/upov_trainer_en_16_world_cafe_1.pdf