Agriculture

Light intensity or light quantity refers to the total amount of light that plants receive. It is also described as the degree of brightness that a plant is exposed to.

In contrast to light quality, the description of the intensity of light does not consider wavelength or color. 

The intensity of light is usually measured by the units lux (lx) and footcandle (fc).

One footcandle means the degree of illumination 1 foot away from a lighted standardized wax candle; 100 footcandles is 1 foot away from 100 candles that are lighted simultaneously.

Lux (pl. luces) is the unit of illumination that a surface receives one meter away from a light source.

One footcandle is equal to 10.76391 luces and 1 lux is approximately equal to 0.093 footcandle.

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Stephen Hales (1677-1761).

Often referred to as the founder or father of plant physiology (Devlin 1975; Hopkins 1999; Egerton 2008), Hales pioneered quantitative physiology.

He was born in Kent, England, and studied theology at Cambridge, but also read mathematics, physics, and botany.

He became a clergyman but also devoted much of his time to scientific pursuits, particularly in the conduct of experiments in plant physiology. 

His most important work, Vegetable Staticks (published in 1727), was in plant physiology.

He suggested that plants derive something from the atmosphere (Rook 1964), a guess that future researchers have proven correct and has become an essential component of the process of photosynthesis in plants.

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There are many fruit types depending on the criteria under consideration.

The plant organ called fruit in the angiosperms may be classified according to the number of ovaries incorporated in the structure, origin of development, nature and structure of the pericarp, ability of the fruit to split apart when mature and the manner in which this occurs, and the attachment of the seed to the ovary.

According to the number of ovaries in the structure, there are three fruit types: simple, aggregate, and multiple.

Simple fruits are most common in the angiosperms.

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Various terms on plant classification are here reviewed grouping and describing plants according to their natural habitat or ecological adaptation.

These terms facilitate communication and understanding about agricultural crops or potential crops for various purposes such as crop selection for gardening or crop farming, research and development, and plant collection.

Substantial understanding of plant classification and plant adaptation is likewise important in applying more efficient methods for the commercialized production of crops.

In The Plants (1963), there is mention that the pygmy cedar (Peucepyllum) has the unique ability to live without soil water.

It replenishes its water supply from the water vapor in the air at night time.

This is amazing because it is always presumed that terrestrial plants naturally obtain water from the soil.

After all, terrestrial plants have roots which are anchored on the soil.

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There are three types of transpiration, the process in which water is lost from plants in the form of gas or vapor: stomatal, cuticular, and lenticular.

These are briefly described below.

1. Stomatal transpiration

Among the three types of transpiration, this is the most dominant being responsible for most of the water loss in plants.

It accounts for 90-95%  of the water transpired from leaves.

As the name suggests, the process involves the participation of the stomata (sing. stoma) or stomates, microscopic pores in the epidermis of the leaves.

Liquid water is first absorbed by the plant through its roots from the soil.

It is then translocated via the xylem tissue in a continuous stream towards the mesophyll cells of the leaves.

Either at the surfaces of the mesophyll cells or of the epidermal cells close to stomata, liquid water is converted to water vapor.

It then escapes through the stomatal pore at the time when it is open to allow entry of CO2 and release of O2. 

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Kaong propagation requires the use of seeds. Wildlings can also be collected from forest floor or under the canopy of mature plants.

These methods, including pregermination treatments before seeding, have been widely used in many palm species such as anahaw (Livistona rotundifolia), buri (Corypha elata), Macarthur palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii), royal palm (Roystonea regia), yellow palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) and rattans.

This is so because these plants and kaong (Arenga pinnata), also called gomuti and sweet palm, belong to the same botanical family Palmae or Arecaceae. These palm plants share common characteristics which affect plant propagation.

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In broadcasting, the only basis for planting is the total seeding rate usually expressed in the weight of seeds per unit area.

Example: 50-100 kg per hectare for lowland rice.

There are no rows and uniform plant-to-plant distances are not considered.

It is possible to calculate the total plant population and the average number of plants per unit area upon germination if the average weight and the germination percentage of seeds are known.

A replicated sampling of stand count per square meter or any sample area can also give a good estimate of the total population. 

In both the hill and drill methods of planting by direct seeding, there is a desired row-to-row spacing.

Take mungbean, for example. The distance between adjacent rows may be 60 cm.

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Based on crop grouping and plant use, the main divisions or branches of horticulture are:

1. Olericulture – The production of vegetables includes storage, processing, and marketing.

Vegetable crops are grown for their succulent and edible parts such as the roots, stems, leaves, young tops, flowers, fruits, or seeds for use in culinary preparations either fresh or preserved in the fresh state.

2. Pomology – The branch of horticulture that deals with fruit crop production. Fruit crops are grown for their edible fruits which, as a rule, are consumed raw.

3. Floriculture – The cultivation and management of cut flowers, flowering plants, and foliage plants (Louisiana State University 2011) including their use in an ornamental construct such as flower arrangement (ISHS 2011).

A term that is used interchangeably with floriculture is ornamental horticulture.

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The plastic tent method, also called kulob method, is the technique of enclosing potted planting materials with a plastic bag.

The method is commonly practiced in plant propagation by stem cuttings.

But it has another important application, one which can be considered as both cost-saving and life-saving.

Cost-saving in the sense that the technique eliminates the need to hire labor or to pay services.

Life-saving too, that is, for your favorite plant.

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