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Description
Flashcards by gordonbrad, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by gordonbrad
over 10 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Humans rely on plants for food because they are at the beginning of the food chain. We grow plants for direct consumption and to feed animals, which we then eat. Modern farming methods aim to increase plant and animal growth. |
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a_turnip (image/jpg)
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| Fertilisers are chemicals that increase crop yields by providing minerals that plants need to grow (e.g. nitrates, phosphates and potassium) Minerals used up in crop growth are replaced by fertilisers so a lack of minerals doesn't limit growth of the next crop. | Pesticides are chemicals that increase crop yields by killing pests that feed on the crops, so less plants are damaged/destroyed. Pests inc. microoganisms/insects. Pestcides may be specific to a pest species or broad and kill a range of species. |
| Antibiotics can be given to animals to increase food production as they kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Giving animals antibiotics mean they can use the energy on growing. It also allows them to digest more efficiently. |
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antibiotics (image/png)
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| Selective breeding involves selecting plants with good characteristics to reproduce together in order to increase productivity. | This is used to increase productivity: plants showing a high level of resistance are bred together then the offspring that show most resistance are bred together. This continues over several generations until the disease is crop resistant. |
| Selective breeding can be used to increase the productivity of animals. Useful characteristics such as high meat, milk or egg yields can be developed. | Animals with good characteristics that will increase yield are bred together. The offspring with the best characteristics are bred together and so on for many generations until many with the same yield are produced. |
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