Plants / Botany

Botany is the scientific study of plant life and it uses. There are over 550,000 species of living plant organisms. A good understanding of plants is crucial to the future of human societies as it allows us to: Produce food to feed an expanding population; Understand fundamental life processes; and produce medicine and materials to treat diseases and other ailments. Human nutrition: Virtually all foods eaten come from plants, either directly from staple foods and other fruit and vegetables, or indirectly through livestock or other animals, which rely on plants for their nutrition. Plants are the base all food chains because they use the energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil and air to convert them into a form that can be consumed. Food Chain: plants are the base all food chains because they use the energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil and air to convert them into a form that can be consumed.

(Genesis 1:11-12): "Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth'". Plants are provision (Genesis 1:29-30): God gives plants, seeds, and fruit trees to humanity and animals for food. Plants are used in symbolism (Psalm 1:3): The righteous are described as a tree planted by rivers of water that bears fruit in its season. Plant Beauty (Isaiah 61:11): Compares the springing forth of righteousness and praise to a garden bringing up its herbs. The Bible talks about: Olive Trees: Symbolize peace and endurance, with oil used in the Tabernacle (Genesis 8:11, Psalm 52:8). Cedars of Lebanon: Represent strength and power (Psalm 29).

Parts of Botany: Agronomy — Application of plant science to crop production. Horticulture — Study of Cultivated plants. Field Botany — The Study and classification of plants in nature. Forestry — Forest management and related studies.

Types of Plants: Mosses – Non -Vascular plants. Club Mosses - Vascular plants. Horsetails - Vascular plants. Ferns - Vascular plants. Liverworts – Non -Vascular plants. Seed Plants - Vascular plants. Vascular tissue is a complex conducting tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses are small, soft plants; they do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin stems. Non-vascular plant, Club Mosses are vascular plants with small, scale-like leaves (fern-like). Horsetails are a vascular plant that reproduces by spores rather than seeds. Ferns are vascular plants. Ferns do not have either seeds or flowers; they reproduce by spores. Liverworts are small; some are on land, some in water and do not have either seeds or flowers, they reproduce by spores and are a non-vascular plants. Seed Plants are all vascular plants and have seeds and flowers, they reproduce by seeds and had true roots. Flowers have: stamen that releases Pollen; anther holds and lets go of the pollen grains; ovule means "small egg. Ovule develops into a seed.

A leaf is a plant part used for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, like sugars and oils, using the energy from sunlight. Leaf shapes are use to identify plants. Photosynthesis changes the energy from the sun into chemical energy and splits water to liberate O2 and fixes CO2 into sugar. Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs.

Forage Crops are food for domestic animals, other than grains. Domestic animals like: cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Animal feeds: hay, straw, silage, pelleted feeds, and legumes. Forage Crops: Alfalfa, Clover, Grass, Fescue, Timothy-grass ,and rome. Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family it is cultivated as an important forage crop.

Alfalfa is a cool season perennial legume living from three to twelve years, depending on variety and climate. It grows to a height of 3 ft. It has a deep root system up to 15 ft). This makes it very resilient, especially to droughts. Clovers are a valuable survival food, as they are high in protein, widespread, and abundant. Fescue Grass highly nutritious stock feed. Fescue is not good for pregnant horses. Fescue pollen is a significant contributor to hay fever.

Botanists also study weeds, plants which are considered to be a nuisance in a particular location. Weeds are a considerable problem in agriculture, and botany provides some of the basic science used to understand how to minimize 'weed' impact in agriculture. Weeds: Broadleaf weeds: Dandelions, Sheep's sorrel, Broadleaf dock

Photosynthesis made fossil Fuel: Oil, Coal and Natural Gas. Why Plants are Important: Oxygen, Food, Medicine, Stops Erosion, Cools the air, Home for wildlife snd trees for Wood - Homes.

Propagate means to cause an plant to multiply by: Seeds, Roots, Grafting, tubers. Seed Propagation: Seeds and spores can be used for plant reproduction. A seed will grow with Warmth, water and soil. A few seeds require smoke or fire to germinate - grow. Root Propagation: Roots that form buds that develop into a plant. Grafting Propagation is where part of one plant is encouraged to fuse and grow in that of another plant. Grafting is most commonly used for the propagation of commercially grown trees and shrubs.

Tubers Propagation: Potato can be propagated by slicing off the sprouting or eyes and planting them.

Plant Growth Needs: Water, Light, Air, Temperature -Warmth and Soil – Nutrient. Problems: Salt and Acid, other contamination

Most of the solid material in a plant is taken from the atmosphere. Through a process known as photosynthesis, most plants use the energy in sunlight to convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, plus water, into simple sugars. Temperature - affects cellular metabolic and growth rates. No plant grows at freezing. Some plants can recover from freezing other die. Plants rely on soil for support and water, also to obtain nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients. Many plants require oxygen in the atmosphere and around their roots for respiration. Some plants grow as submerged aquatics, using oxygen dissolved in the surrounding water. The soil particles consist of tiny bits of minerals and organic matter. The spaces between them are called pore space and are filled with air and water. Soils are composed of solid particles which have spaces between them. Soil texture is determined solely by the sizes of the mineral particles. Soil – Nutrient: There are thirteen mineral elements which are essential for plant growth. Six of these are called major elements because the plant uses them in large amounts. They are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S).

An important aspects of soil nutrient management is proper soil pH. Soil pH is a measure of soil acidity . A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH below this indicates an acid soil and a pH greater than 7.0 indicates an alkaline soil. Most of our soils are naturally acid and need to be limed periodically to keep the pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.0. Organic matter consists of numerous compounds which vary greatly in their ease of decomposition. Organic matter contains carbon. Carbon is a source of energy for microorganisms (microbes) in the soil. Compost is composed of organic materials from plants that been decomposed. Manure: Animal manure is an excellent source of nutrients and organic matter. Cover crops are grown on land during fallow periods to protect soil from erosion, build organic matter, smother weeds and to capture unused nitrogen which otherwise might leach. Winter rye is a popular winter cover crop and is very effective in taking up residual nitrogen. Soil tests provide the best way to determine lime and fertilizer requirements. Soil samples should be representative of the field or area being managed.

Plant Types: Native, Cultivated, Invasive nonnative. Invasive : Alligatorweed , Spotted Knapweed, Castor Bean Plant (The entire plant, but especially the seed, is the source of the toxin.)

Top USA Crops in metric tons: Corn 256,900,000 ; Soybeans 65,800,000; ;Wheat 63,590,000; Cotton lint 3,968,000; Tomatoes 12,275,000; Potatoes 20,820,000; Grapes 6,126,000; Oranges 10,473,000.

Plant hardiness zones are a guide to help you know which plants will grow where you live, so you don't plant things that will soon die just because they can't manage your region's temperatures. North America has 11 hardiness zones. Zone 1 is the coldest; zone 11 is the warmest.

Hardiness Zones: Zone 1: below -46 C (below -50 F), Zone 2: -46 to -40 C (-50 to -40 F), Zone 3: -40 to -34 C (-40 to -30 F), Zone 4: -34 to -29 C (-30 to -20 F), Zone 5: -29 to -23 C (-20 to -10 F), one 6: -23 to -18 C (-10 to 0 F), Zone 7: -18 to -12 C (0 to 10 F), Zone 8: -12 to -7 C (10 to 20 F), Zone 9: -7 to -1 C (20 to 30 F), Zone 10: -1 to 4 C (30 to 40 F),Zone 11: above 4 C (above 40 F),

Tree rings—also known as annual growth rings—vary in size each year depending upon the environmental conditions that the tree experiences. For most locations, tree rings will be wider during years of abundant rainfall and narrower during times of drought.

Extreme Plants: Extreme Plants Old: Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Methuselah) 4,844 years. Tall: Roast Redwood 379 ft, Redwood National Park, California, United States. Big: The largest trees in total volume, Shermans Redwood, 275 feet tall, 36.5 ft diameter, 2,700 years old, largest branch 6.8 ft at Sequoia National Park California. Fast Growing: Bamboo are the fastest growing woody plants in the world. They are capable of growing up to 2 feet per day. Cal. Kelp Are the fastest growing plants. 3 feet a day. Smelly: Course flower. Big flowers that mimic dead, rotting, stinking gunk. Hungry: Carnivorous Plants: Venus Fly Trap 600 species eat bugs. Also Nepenthes can eat mice. Smallest seed: Orchids: 35 million per ounce, Look like dust particles. Largest seed: Giant Fan Palm Seed can weigh 44 lbs. Known as the double coconut in Indian Ocean islands.

Types of Biomass -Plant Energy: Biomass Energy – Wood , Wood Waste, Ethanol Made From Corn And Other Crops. Ethanol is a clear, colorless alcohol fuel made from the sugars found in grains. In the USA it is used to make "gasohol" a mixture of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. .Fossil Fuels must be used to make and transport Ethanol. (cannot be piped). Gasohol makes food more costly. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be used instead of diesel fuel, made from petroleum. Biodioesel can be made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or greases. Most biodiesel today is made from soybean oil. About half of biodiesel producers are able to make biodiesel from used oils or fats, including recycled restaurant grease. Biomass Energy - Problems: Burning: Air Emissions – exhaust filters. Burning: Disposal of the ashes. Biodiesel: Limit supply, good future. Ethanol: Too much energy to make, higher food cost.

Careers in Plant Science: Botanist, Agronomist, Farmer, Landscape designer, Chemist, Soil Scientist, Ag Business. Botanists are biological scientists who study plants. Their field, botany, is very broad. It encompasses the study of more than three hundred thousand species of plants ranging from ground-hugging mosses to giant redwood trees. In addition, there are many different ways to approach the study of plant life. Botanists usually specialize in one type or group of plants, or one approach to the study of plants. Botanists are often classified according to the types of plants that they study. For example, agronomists specialize in the study of agricultural crops and grasses. Marine botanists study plants that grow in the ocean. Many botanists identify and classify plants. Sometimes they explore unknown areas in order to find new types of plants. They study how plants grow, reproduce, and manufacure food. Economic botanists search for and develop plants that can be sold as food, drugs, fibers, or other useful goods. There are many other kinds of botanists. They work in fields such as agriculture, conservation, forestry, horticulture, and agronomy. Agronomists are plant and soil scientists who study and try to improve on the process of growing farm crops. They help farmers use their land more effectively and suggest methods to increase yields. Agronomists also aid in solving or preventing problems with soil and crops. Many agronomists work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state or local government agencies. Some work for agricultural colleges, agricultural service companies, or firms that maintain or make loans for agricultural lands. Others work for seed companies or concerns that make food products. Many agronomists are also self-employed consultants. Horticulturist: Provides professional advice on the selection, ordering, planting, and maintenance of trees, shrubs, ground covers, and turf grasses. Plans and designs annual and perennial flower beds. Trains ground personnel in the techniques of pruning, wound dressing, cavity repair, and the cabling and bracing of trees and shrubs. Confers with landscape architect and other personnel in the selection of plants.