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Agricultural or farm land is land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. According to the FAO, farm land is the land under temporary agricultural crops, temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow (less than five years). Other sources counted land under permanent cropsRead more

Phytoplasmas are known causal agents of hundreds of diseases in various plants. They are microscopic plant pathogens, which live in the vascular system of plants and are spread by sap-feeding insects, including leafhoppers and planthoppers. There are several diseases of grapevine caused by phytoplasmas: Flavescence dorée Bois noir (black wood, vergilbungskrankheit) Grapevine yellows. All Vitis vinifera varietiesRead more

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the most commonly used salad vegetable, occurring in or under most salads. There are many types, varying in size, form, leaf shape, color and taste. All of these types may have evolved from a weedy form that was used in ancient Egypt as a source of cooking oil from pressedRead more

Soil degradation, a decline in soil quality caused by human activities, has been a major global issue during the 20th century and will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century. The importance of soil degradation among global issues is enhanced because of its impact on world food security and the quality ofRead more

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is an evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. It’s known for over 7000 years and has a symbolic connotations in cultures around the world.The olive branch was often a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. The leafy branches of the olive tree were ritually offeredRead more

Soil is one of the marvelous products of nature and the most precious resource to humans, without which there would be no life. Increased demand for agriculture commodities generates incentives to convert forests and grasslands to farm fields. The transition to agriculture from natural vegetation often cannot hold onto the soil and many of theseRead more

Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale. Climate change affects farming in a number of ways, including through changes in average temperatures, rainfall, and climate extremes (e.g. heat waves), changes in pests and diseases, changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone concentrations, changes in theRead more

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of berries from the Coffea plant. Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. Top ten coffee producing countries The two most commonly grown are the highly regardedRead more

You have probably heard that hummus is an important part of your soil, but few people know what it is and why it is important. The best way to understand humus is to understand how it is formed. Dead plant and animal material consist of organic matter (a wide range of molecules including starches, proteins,Read more

The soil preparation is the first step to ensure that the field is ready for growing a crop. A well-prepared field controls weeds, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a soft soil mass for transplanting and a suitable soil surface for direct seeding. Land preparation involves plowing to “till” or dig-up, mix, and overturn the soil,Read more