Crop Sci

FACTORS
AFFECTING
CROP
PRODUCTION
1. Environmental Factors
2. Genetic
3. Human Factors
Environmental Factors
1. Abiotic Factors
a. C l i m a t
e
 Summation of weather condition

 Determines where, when and what plants will grow
 Shapens the soil and the
configuration of the earth’s surface
Elements of Climate
 Temperature
- degree of hotness or coldness
- temperature depends on:
 latitude (distance from the equator toward pole)
 altitude (distance from the sea level)
 distance from large bodies of water
 oceanic currents
 direction and intensity of prevailing wind
 Light
- controls growth and development
- according to light requirement, plants are classified as:
 sun-loving plants (heliophytes)
 shade-loving plants (sciophytes)
 shade-tolerant plants (facultative sciophytes)
- in terms of light duration
Plants respond to the length of light or dark periods and do
not depend on light intensity (Daylenght or photoperiodism)
 short day or long night plants - require a dark period
exceeding some critical length to induce flowering
 long day or short night plants - plants flower only
when the dark period exceeds some critical length, but they
flower under continuous illumination
 day neutral plants - apparently flower over a wide range of
daylength
 non-obligate plants - flower regardless of the length but will
flower earlier or more profusely when the day is either long or
short
 long day-short day plants - flower only after an alteration of
daylengths. These plants require first an exposure to long
days and then to a period of short days
 Short-day plants generally require 10-14 hours of continuous

dark to form flower buds and develop flowers, fruits and seeds
 Long day plants require 8-10 hours
 Rainfall
- controls water regime
 limits field operations
 assessment should be done in terms of the amount
and distribution throughout the year
 Relative Humidity (RH)
- the amount of moisture in the atmosphere
 important consideration in disease development and
postharvest handling of perishable crops
 effects water requirement of the crop
 Wind
- average and ideal wind speed for crop production
is 7.2 kph
Soil
 the upper weathered surface on the earth’s crust
capable of supporting plant life
 supplies moisture and essential minerals and
provides anchorage for the roots of plants
 shapens the soil and configures earth’s surface
Composition of Soil
 45-50% minerals (clay, silt, sand)
 25% water
 25% air
 0.5 - 5% organic matter
Depth
- distance from the soil surface to the lower layers through
which roots can grow
- obstruction can be bed rock, hard pan, gravel and water
- degree of erosion can determine soil depth
Amount of Organic Matter
 derived from plant and animal remains
Functions:
 prevents loss of nutrients by forming complexes
with the nutrient elements
 facilitates absorption and percolation of water
into and through the soil
 source of nutrient elements
 improves soil water-holding capacity
 improves the penetration of roots through the soil
 Assessment of soil fertility:

 low fertility (2% OM)
 medium fertility (2-3.5% OM)
 high fertility (3.5% OM)
Physical Properties
a. Soil texture – proportion of sand, silt and clay
 Sandy soil (85% sand)
 Sandy loam (45-85% sand, 0-50% silt and 0-20% clay)
 Loam (23-52% sand, 20-50% silt and 5-27% clay)
 Silt loam (0-50% sand, 50-88% silt and 0-27% clay)
 Clay loam (20-42% sand, 18-52% silt and 27-40% clay)
 Clay (<42% sand, <40% silt and 40%> clay)
b. Soil Structure – arrangement or grouping

of the different soil particles
Chemical Properties
- macronutients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S)
- micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu, Bo, Mo and Cl)
Conditions of nutrients to benefit the crops grown
1. nutrient elements must be present in the soil
in available forms
2. each nutrient element must be present in proper amounts
3. proper balance among their concentrations
Soil pH (soil reaction) - degree of alkalinity or acidity of the soil
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
o Amount of CEC is determined by the amount of clay,
the kind of clay and
the amount of humified organic matter
o CEC affects:
 capacity of the soil to hold nutrients
such as Ca++, Mg++, K+ and NH4+
 quantity of a nutrient required to change
its relative level in soils
Biological Properties of the Soil

- animals (burrowing animals, earthworms, insects, nematodes)
- microorganisms (bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi,
algae, protozoa)
 improve soil structure, aeration, water permeability
and availability of soil nutrients
 some may also be injurious (fungi, actinomycetes
and nematodes and through competition for
nutrients and oxygen supply in the soil).
Organic Matter Decomposition
 breaking down of plant residues
 enhanced soil aggregation
 nutrients held in organic combinations
are released for plant use
Mineralization
 nutrient elements are broken down and
converted to available forms
Nitrogen Fixation
 Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (root-nodule bacteria)
converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form
which can be directly used by plants
Orographic Effects
Climatic Stresses
- typhoons, floods, wind and drought
- ways to counteract climatic stresses:
 Planting of tolerant crops
 Choosing a crop variety with short maturity
 Timing of crop establishment
Global Warming:
Contribution of agriculture to carbon emissions:
1) the direct use of fossil fuels in farm operations
2) the indirect use of embodied energy in inputs
that are energy-intensive to manufacture
(particularly fertilizers)
3) the cultivation of soils resulting in the loss
of woody biomass and soil organic matter
Environmental Factors
2. Biotic Factors
Beneficial organisms
 Pollinators – Bees, moths, butterflies and certain kind
of flies and insect pollinators
 Decomposers –are plants and animals which cause decay
(earthworm, larvae of many flies, bacteria and fungi)
 Natural enemies of pests
Predator - living, active animal that catches and
devours usually smaller or more helpless
organism or animal (called prey)
Parasites – organisms that live on or on another usually
larger living organism (host)
Protozoas, bacteria, fungi, virus, rickettsiae
 Nitrogen fixers – nitrogen fixing bacteria converts
atmospheric nitrogen into a form
which can be directly used by plants.
Pests
- insects, weeds, diseases, rodents and birds
- Effects:
> reduced yields
> impaired quality of harvests
> shriveled grains
> smaller or discolored fruits and vegetables
> changes in tastes and smell
> presence of contaminants (weed seeds,
dead insects or molds)
Genetic Factors
Genotype
o hereditary (genetic) make-up of an organism
o determines the yield potential, relative susceptibility
to unfavorable condition, earliness and regularity of bearing,
length of productive life, size and shape of the plant
at maturity
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) –
- Genetic modification/genetic manipulation, concerns
the transfer of genetic information – in the form of
DNA sequences – across sexual barriers between species,
which under normal conditions would not exchange DNA.
The resulting organisms are called
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or transgenics.
Recent Developments
1. BT Crops, or “Insecticide Crops that Kills Pests”
2. Roundup-Ready Crops, or
Crops Tolerant to Specific Herbicides
3. Crops Richer in Nutritional Properties
4. Crops Resistant Against Viral, Bacterial and
Fungal Infections
5. Crops Surviving Under Specific or Extreme Conditions
Interaction Between
Genetic and Environmental
Factors
ENVIRONMENT
FARMING
YIELD
OPERATION
GENOTYPE
Human Factors
1. Preferences of the Farmers
Produce F4 (food, feed, fiber, fuel) for domestic consumption
- For exports to earn dollars
2. Capability of farmers
Social structures and customs affecting agric’l dev’t
- - Culture – traditional farming
- - Religious beliefs
- - Customs – for prestige, insurance against famine, dowry
- - Land tenure
3. Socio-economic
- - farm size
- - labor force
- - capital
- - power
- - farm storage and post-harvest facilities

Crop Sci

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FACTORS

 Summation of weather condition

 Short-day plants generally require 10-14 hours of continuous

 Assessment of soil fertility:

b. Soil Structure – arrangement or grouping

Biological Properties of the Soil

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