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Agronomy

science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and reclamation

Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. It is the application of a combination of sciences such as biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Professionals of agronomy are termed agronomists.

Agronomy is the science that, taking advantage of ecological principles, devices and tests new approaches, rules and means to govern the relationships between the different production factors in order to obtain an appropriate harvest.
- Van Ittersum & Van de Geijn (1997)

Quotes

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19th century

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  • On M. Thaer's Principes Raisonne's D'agriculture.
    The high reputation attached to the author of this publication as a scientific and practical agriculturist, independently of his other claims to consideration, as well as the intrinsic character of the work itself, render it incumbent on us to no. tice it... The work, besides an appendix or atlas of various tables and plates, consists of four large octavo volumes... The second volume makes its appearance, with a long and able preface from the translator, which is in effect a digest of the principles of vegetation, and of agricultural chemistry. The second section is concluded at a very early part of this volume; and the third section commences under the head of agronomy, which, as the translator informs us, should be read with great attention, in order to extract its matter with full advantage to the reader. This section first treats of the component parts of soils, and the author goes deeply into this interesting subject, noticing at considerable length lime, chalk, marl, gypsum, the nature and effects of humus, and its different combinations with the elementary earths and atmospheric influences; and then succeeds a vast deal under the particular head of agriculture (first part), which, in our simplicity, we had imagined to have been essentially the subject on which we had been before engaged. This division comprehends first manures, animal, vegetable, and mineral, a sequence to the "constituent and physical properties of soils and the mode of judging of land," contained in the preceding division — agronomy — but designed principally to explain the modus operandi of manuring substances; with a great deal which seems in some respects a repetition of points previously discussed under the head of agronomy, and which might better have been included in it.
  • Agronomy; or a Treatise on the Constituent Parts and Physical Properties of the Soil, and the best Method of acquiring a Knowledge of the different Earths, and ascertaining their Value.
  • The study of the soil is known as "Agronomy," but, from the foregoing remarks, it will be seen that agronomy is not in itself a science, but expresses the bearing of several recognised branches of science upon the study of soils.
    • John Wrightson (1887) Agricultural text-book: : embracing soils, manures, rotations of crops and live stock, adapted to the requirements of the syllabus of the Science and Art Department, South Kensington. p. 9.
  • Notwithstanding the willingness of many farmers, in spite of the knowledge and capital which many of thein have devoted to it, it is established that agriculture, or father agronomy, is still, in this country, only in an embryo state.
    • The Legislature(1888) Sessional Papers. Vol. 21, Nr. 3, p. 77.
  • … agronomy is this classification is divided into farm crops, crop pests, soils and fertilizers.
    • University of Texas (1894) Bulletin of the University of Texas: General series, p. 20.
  • Agronomy is that division of the Agricultural College work which relates to the field and its crops and has to do with investigation and instruction along the lines of (a) Farm management; the application of economic business methods to farm (b) Farm Crops; their production and improvement, (c) Soils; their fertility, cultivation, and improvement, (d) Farm Mechanics; the tools, machinery, fences and drains of the farm.
  • It is probable that the substitution of a more definite and technical term for agriculture in its restricted sense would simplify matters. The term agronomy is tentatively suggested as such a term...
    • United States. Office of Experiment Stations (1897) Bulletin, p. 58.
  • The word "agronomy" is the short way of indicating agriculture, horticulture, viticulture, arboriculture, dairying, breeding of live stock, beekeeping, &c.
    • South Australia. Dept. of Agriculture (1899) Journal of Agriculture and Industry of South Australia, p. 363.

20th century

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  • Biotechnology procedures that permit the easy asexual transfer of genes among microorganisms, when and if mastered for higher plants, hold the potential for transferring desired genes across species, genera, and perhaps family barriers. Let your imagination roam - the high lysine trait from the pigweed might be used to improve the quality of maize protein. 'The resistance of maize to wheat stem rust might be used to make wheat resistant to this disease. The gene for tolerance to Al[uminum] toxicity in wheat might make maize tolerant to Al[uminum]... The future for agronomy is not only bright, but it has no foreseeable bounds.
    • Kenneth Frey' (1985:188-9) as cited in: Jack Ralph Kloppenburg First the Seed: The Political Economy of Plant Biotechnology (2005).
  • The fundamental core of contemporary Darwinism, the theory of DNA-based reproduction and evolution, is now beyond dispute among scientists. It demonstrates its power every day, contributing crucially to the explanation of planet-sized facts of geology and meteorology, through middle-sized facts of ecology and agronomy, down to the latest microscopic facts of genetic engineering.
  • Agronomy is the science that, taking advantage of ecological principles, devices and tests new approaches, rules and means to govern the relationships between the different production factors in order to obtain an appropriate harvest.
    • M.K. van Ittersum, ‎S.C. van de Geijn (1997) Perspectives for Agronomy, p. 10.

21st century

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  • Agronomy is the scientific management of land to practice effective soil conservation and to maximize crop production.
    • Jim Cole, ‎Tony Stankus (2014) Journals of the Century, p. 448.

See also

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Wikipedia
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Wiktionary
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