Farms

Jamaica is the land of wood and water. So it is no surprise that we have rich biodiversity in our island [1]   [2] .  I am fascinated with the history and development of my country's flora. I have come to understand, by the little research that I have done, that foreign plants (and even animals) were introduced to this region, like the breadfruit [3] . Some of the other plants that were introduced includes coconuts (very surprising to me), sugar cane (one of the biggest slave trade product), tomatoes, red peas (or kidney beans), yam, orange, ackee (shocking!) and the list goes on. I have ventured down this path because I have an interest in introducing a few more foreign species into our island. Is it possible for me to create hybrids of plants that are native to regions outside our tropical zone? Our planet has five (5) geographical zones: North Frigid (4% of the planet), North Temperate (26%), Torrid or Tropical (40%), South Temperate (26%), South Frigid (4%). Apart from t...

According to Wikipedia, a greenhouse (also called a glasshouse , or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse ) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown. Greenhouses are used to create a controlled environment for plants, mainly vegetables and flowers, where the can grow producing the best results possible. The controls that are implemented usually involve temperature control, ventilation, nutrient and carbon dioxide enrichment. The supply of certain nutrients and carbon dioxide can cause plants to bring out extraordinary results. Tomatoes that are bigger and more tasty; bigger and more colourful bell-peppers. Plants produce more fruit when more than the usual carbon dioxide is supplied to the roots of the plant. Another important factor in housing plants in greenhouses is that they can be sheltered from the storm and refreshed during a drought. See an excerpt below from ...

There are so many approaches to raising crops which include traditional farming, hydroponics and aqua-ponics. Traditional farming is planting crops into the soil and involves using irrigation systems to provide the field containing the crops with water. This offers very little automation and is exposed to weather of the region of that farm. Hydroponics is a method of providing nutrients to crops without the use of soil. Some hydroponics systems recycle the water used to grow the crops and much effort is placed into the irrigation system to ensure optimal levels of water and nutrients are provided to the crops. This is a controlled system that may be setup in open air or in a green house. Aqua-ponics is a method of growing crops and fish in a symbiotic environment, where the crops receive nutrient rich water filled with the faeces of the fish and the plant filters the faecal water so that it returns clean into the fish pond. This system of farming is usually set up in an enclosed envi...

One of the most important foundation component of agriculture is the soil. The soil has three main purpose: retain water for the plants, provide nutrients to the plant and give physical support to the plant. Soil contains many minerals in it that is vital for plant growth. Soils differ in different regions because it contains one type of mineral more than other soil in other regions. This kind of mineral can come from volcanic activity as well as weathering activity. Soil has layers (or horizons). At the very top, humus can be found which is rich in organic matter (usually decomposing plant and animal matter). As we go deeper below the surface, the soil particles become bigger until we hit rocks (the parent material of soils). Soil is made up of sand, silt and clay. All sand, silt and clay are not the same. Sand is bigger in (particle) size than silt and silt is bigger in (particle) size than clay. The perfect soil for agriculture is said to be 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay, which is...