Science and Technology: Agriculture

We have learned that the roots grow out into the soil in search of moisture and food, which they absorb for the use of the plant. The First Book of Farming

Of course, some forest trees in areas of wet climate do produce big edible seeds, but these seeds are not adapted to surviving a long dry season and hence to long storage by humans. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Today, the staple crops of highland agriculture are the recently introduced sweet potato, along with taro, bananas, yams, sugarcane, edible grass stems, and several leafy vegetables. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

He plants the seeds after harvest in late summer for the crop the following year. Orphan Train

People in Central America domesticated maize and beans without knowing anything about wheat and pea cultivation in the Middle East. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Of the thousands of species that our ancestors hunted and gathered, only a few were suitable candidates for farming and herding. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

The richest acre of Iowa soil could never feed thirty thousand hungry corn plants year after year without added fertilizer. The Omnivore's Dilemma

Crops in the ground were harvested as they ripened. Farewell to Manzanar

The desire for a quick and easy method of killing unwanted plants has given rise to a large and growing array of chemicals that are known as herbicides, or, less formally, as weed killers. Silent Spring

Therefore, some plant protection products are commercially available to trigger the plant’s immune system, with benefits in terms of consumer health and environmental protection. National Institutes of Health

Massive irrigation projects, built with public money to improve private land, brought water from hundreds of miles away. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Set back on the land were pens for cattle, sheep and hogs; and around and about were sheds and houses belonging to the men who worked the docks and shipped the livestock. My Brother Sam is Dead

Of Roman crops, only oats and poppies were native to Italy. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

A farmer looks on as a pesticide is sprayed and appears to disable a bee without killing it. New York Times

For as soon as the weather allows, Farmer Fitzgibbon’s tractor comes rumbling through, pulling the sharp-bladed plow through the soil, turning over every foot of it. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Other possibilities lie within the field of forest genetics, where experiments offer hope of developing a hybrid elm resistant to Dutch elm disease. Silent Spring

So we wanted to find a farm, preferably a big one, with a big barn and silos full of grain, near the mountains. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Our district is the most fertile in all Malawi, often called the “breadbasket” of the country, and Banda understood what was required to work the soil. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

At length he came to a clearing in the forest where rock prevented vegetation from growing. Lord of the Flies

The dirt is only viable soil because of the bacteria growing in it. The Martian