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Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
•
Discuss how light quality, quantity, and photoperiod affect plant growth.
•
Compare strategies to optimize light quantity for plant production.
•
Explain different responses plants have to temperature.
•
Summarize techniques to manage temperature for crop production.
•
Explain how water is applied for greatest plant growth and development.
• Compare and contrast careers in horticulture environmental management.
Words to Know
air drainage
biennial
blanching
chilling injury
daily light integral (DLI)
degree day
DIF
dormancy
etiolation
freezing injury
heat stress
irrigation
juvenile stage
light quality
light quantity
microclimate
nanometer (nm)
necrosis
photoblastic
photon
photoperiod
phototropism
plant hardiness zone
polycarbonate
polyethylene
Q10
root zone
slope orientation
stratifi cation
sunscald
thermoperiod
vernalization
Before You Read
Revie w the chapter headings and use them to create an outline for taking notes during reading
and class discussion. Under each heading, list any term highlighted in
bold italics. Write two
questions that you expect the chapter to answer.
Environmental
Conditions for
Growth
CHAPTER
10
90 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
• Describe the plant sciences: botany, agronomy, horticulture, and forestry.
• Compare and contrast edible and ornamental horticulture.
• Understand organic and sustainable production of crops.
• Discover sources for locally grown food.
• Describe the green industry.
• Discuss the outlook for horticulture careers and list horticultural organizations.
Words to Know
agronomist
agronomy
balled-and-burlapped (B&B)
bare root (BR)
botanist
botany
bramble
community supported
agriculture (CSA)
enologist
ethylene
evapotranspiration
fl oriculture
forest stand
forester
forestry
geocarpy
green industry
hardscape
high-density orchard
horticulture
horticulturist
integrated pest
management (IPM)
interiorscape
interiorscaper
interiorscaping
locavore
nursery
nursery and landscape
industry
olericulture
organic food
ornamental horticulture
perennial
plant science
pomologist
pomology
postharvest
pot-in-pot (PNP)
propagate
senescence
silviculture
sod
sustainable agriculture
tree plot
turfgrass
vegetative
viniculture
viticulture
viticulturist
Before You Read
Look at the Words to Know list above. Write defi nitions for the words you know. Put the
words you cannot defi ne into a separate list. Skim through the chapter and write down
the topics that you think you might know well, and those that you do not know much
about. Once you are fi nished, pair up with another student and share your lists.
The Horticulture
Industry
CHAPTER
4
Chapter 4 The Horticulture Industry 95
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
leaves are eaten. The fl
owers of plants can also be eaten as a vegetable, as is
the case with broccoli and caulifl
ower. Fruits include beans, peas, tomatoes,
cucumbers, squash, peppers, and sweet corn.
Vegetable Growers
Vegetable growers should enjoy working outdoors in a variety of
conditions. They must be prepared to lead
teams of people and have good communication
skills. Vegetable growers have the opportunity
to provide people with nutritious plants
for better health. Growers must make daily
choices for plant management. They face many
challenges that require critical thinking and
problem solving, Figure 4-4.
Pomology
Pomology
is the cultivation, processing,
storing, and marketing of fruits and nuts. People
who work this area are known as
pomologists.
The study, management, and harvest of fruit and
nut trees helps feed and medicate people around
the world. Fruit from trees such as those in the
citrus family (grapefruit, tangerine, and oranges)
provide the vitamin C used to help ward off
sickness and disease such as the common cold.
hjschneider/Shutterstock.com
Figure 4-4.
Vegetable growers must make decisions and
solve problems related to gardening.
How would you
cultivate a garden? What would be your biggest challenge?
Leaflet
Primary
branch
Main stem
Peg
Soil
Peanut
Taproot
Roots
sunsetman/Shutterstock.com
STEM STEM
Connection Connection
Peanuts
How does a fruit grow underground?
Peanuts provide countless products that are
used daily by Americans. Peanuts are not true nuts.
The peanut is a member of the legume or bean family.
Arachis hypogaea
is the botanical name of the peanut
and means “under the earth.” This agronomic crop is
originally from South America, but it has found a home in
the soft soils of the southeastern United States. Peanuts
exhibit something called
geocarpy
(a rare means of plant
reproduction). After pollination, the flower stalk elongates
and pushes into the ground. Where each plant stem
touches the soil, a nodule (or peanut) forms. The mature
fruit, now called a legume, is nestled in the soil waiting for
harvest.
How many peanuts would it take to make one jar
of peanut butter?
Corner Question
Where did pumpkin pie
originate?
106
Horticulture Today
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
As with everything else, as long as there is demand, there will be
growers producing foods to fi
ll that demand, especially when those foods can
bring premium prices. There is still a great debate between conventional and
organic foods producers regarding the benefi
ts of organic foods. However, consumers are showing through their purchases that they value organic food.
Sustainable Agriculture
Many farmers do not grow their crops completely organically or completely
conventionally. However, most growers do consider their growing practices to
be sustainable.
Sustainable agriculture
is farming or producing plant and animal
products in ways that promote the health of people, animals, and the environment.
Sustainable agriculture employs practices that will conserve natural resources and
ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to farm.
Pest Management
Many farmers employ farming practices that are organic, but when needed,
they may use pesticides.
Integrated pest management (IPM)
is an approach
to managing pests that uses commonsense,
economical practices, and results in the least
possible hazard to people, property, and the
environment. When it is necessary to apply
chemicals, only the least harmful methods of
application are used,
Figure 4-14.
IPM involves
monitoring, trapping, and using other means
of pest control, such as natural predators
(ladybugs, praying mantis) or crop rotation,
before resorting to the use of harsh chemicals.
IPM benefi
ts farmers by helping to keep their
land and the ecosystem surrounding their
farms healthy.
Soil Nutrition and Conservation
Sustainable farming also involves
bettering the soil. Certain methods of crop
rotation and growing cover crops can be
Frederico Rostagno/Shutterstock.com
Figure 4-14.
Sometimes, organic farms must use chemicals
to manage pest problems or treat disease. In this image,
pesticides are being sprayed on a field using a boom sprayer.
In what other ways can farmers deter pests and treat disease?
Thinking Green
Parasitic Wasps
©iStock.com/grandaded
Various types of wasps are used
by some farmers as a means of pest
control. These wasps lay eggs on pest
larvae. When the eggs hatch, they feed
on the pest larva. Parasitic wasps are
often referred to as predatory wasps.
Which species of wasps are used by
farmers as a means of pest control?
Safety Note
Organic Pesticides
When growing plants
organically, it is just as
important to garden
safely as it is when using
conventional methods.
When using a pesticide
labeled “organic,” you
must follow the directions
for safely using the
product.
Corner Question
Does the United
States Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
certify sustainable
agriculture farmers?
ix Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Features of the Textbook
Chapter Outcomes
clearly identify the
knowledge and
skills to be obtained
when the chapter is
completed.
Words to Know
list the key terms to
be learned in each
chapter.
Before You Read literacy integration
activities at the beginning of each chapter
encourage development of confidence and
skill in literacy and learning.
Corner Questions
spur conversation
related to chapter
content.
Thinking Green features
highlight key items related to
sustainability, energy efficiency,
and environmental issues.
STEM
Connections
integrate all four
components of
STEM education
as well as the
social sciences
and language arts.
Safety Notes
alert students
of potentially
dangerous materials
and practices.