Soil Conservation ... Decisions regarding appropriate crop rotation, cover crops, and planted windbreaks are central to the ability of surface soils to retain their integrity, both with respect to erosive forces and chemical change from nutrient depletion. Crop rotation is simply the conventional alternation of crops on a given field, so that nutrient depletion is avoided from repetitive chemical uptake/deposition of single crop growth...
Callisto (moon) ... Compounds detected spectroscopically on the surface include water ice, carbon dioxide, silicates, and organic compounds...
Organic Certification ... fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of biosolids; use of farmland that has been free from prohibited synthetic chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more); keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail); maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products; undergoing periodic on-site inspections... In some countries, certification is overseen by the government, and commercial use of the term organic is legally restricted... Certified organic producers are also subject to the same agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers...
Electric Vehicle ... Electric vehicles first came into existence in the mid-19th century, when electricity was among the preferred methods for motor vehicle propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time. The internal combustion engine (ICE) is the dominant propulsion method for motor vehicles but electric power has remained commonplace in other vehicle types, such as trains and smaller vehicles of all types...
Agriculture ... The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies. However, all farming generally relies on techniques to expand and maintain the lands suitable for raising domesticated species...
Organic Clothing ... Retailers charge more for organic clothing because such the material used are free from chemicals or genetically modified seeds... Benefits Authentic organic fabrics and clothing can help the environment in a number of ways, such as: Manufacture of chemicals is not required Chemical residues are not entered accidentally into the environment Humans and animals are not exposed to chemicals When the fabric is finished with chemicals are not returned to the earth in landfill, or enter into recycling process... Criticism Many highstreet retailers market organic clothing ranges that contain chemicals from the dyeing to bleaching process, which is inconsistent with the idea of Organic Clothing...
Hydrogen Production ... In 2006, the United States was estimated to have a production capacity of 11 million tonnes of hydrogen. 5 million tonnes of hydrogen were consumed on-site in oil refining, and in the production of ammonia (Haber process) and methanol (reduction of carbon monoxide)...
Plant Breeding ... Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the beginning of human civilization. It is now practiced worldwide by individuals such as gardeners and farmers, or by professional plant breeders employed by organizations such as government institutions, universities, crop-specific industry associations or research centers...
Solar Cell ... Assemblies of solar cells are used to make solar modules which are used to capture energy from sunlight. When multiple modules are assembled together (such as prior to installation on a pole-mounted tracker system), the resulting integrated group of modules all oriented in one plane is referred to in the solar industry as a solar panel...
Thin Film Solar Cell ... Thin-film solar cells are usually categorized according to the photovoltaic material used: Amorphous silicon (a-Si) and other thin-film silicon (TF-Si) Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Copper indium gallium selenide (CIS or CIGS) Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) and other organic solar cells Possible combinations of Group-(XI, XIII, XVI) elements in the periodic table that yield a compound showing photovoltaic effect (Cu, Ag, Au | Al, Ga, In | S, Se, Te)...
Sustainable Energy ... Green Energy is energy that can be extracted, generated, and/or consumed without any significant negative impact to the environment. The planet has a natural capability to recover which means pollution that does not go beyond that capability can still be termed green...
Hydrogen Storage ... Most research into hydrogen storage is focused on storing hydrogen as a lightweight, compact energy carrier for mobile applications. Liquid hydrogen or slush hydrogen may be used, as in the Space Shuttle...
Organic Farming Methods ... Organic farming uses a variety of methods to improve soil fertility, including crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and application of compost... By reducing tillage, soil is not inverted and exposed to air; less carbon is lost to the atmosphere resulting in more soil organic carbon... In contrast, organic farming tends to tolerate some pest populations while taking a longer-term approach...
Soil PH ... Below pH 4, H+ ions themselves damage root cell membranes. In soils with high content of Manganese (Mn) containing minerals, Manganese toxicity can become a problem at pH 5.6 and below...
Genetically Modified Organism ... In 1986, field tests of bacteria genetically engineered to protect plants from frost damage (ice-minus bacteria) at a small biotechnology company called Advanced Genetic Sciences of Oakland, California, were repeatedly delayed by opponents of biotechnology. In the same year, a proposed field test of a microbe genetically engineered for a pest resistance protein by Monsanto Company was dropped...
Organic Farming And Biodiversity ... Theory suggests that organic farming practices, which exclude the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, would be beneficial for biodiversity, and this has proven true... Spanning all associated species, there is an average of 30% more on organic farms versus conventional farming methods... Modern organic farm practices such as the removal of pesticides and the inclusion of animal manure, crop rotation, and multi-cultural crops provides the chance for biodiversity to thrive...