Natural Resources for Sustainable Crop Production
Natural Resources for sustainable crop production include appropriate temperatures, rainfall, biodiversity, genetic diversity, rich soils…
These are components of BriCASFR’s Education and training services.
- Solar Radiation
- Carbon & Carbon Dioxide
- Water
- Climate Systems
- Ecosystems
- Biodiversity
- …Natural Resources are continued under Soil link: (Soils, Soil Textures, Soil Organic Matter, Soil Carbon, Land Classes)
- …Next Natural Resources are continued under Biodiversity
Solar Radiation is a Natural Resource for Crop Production
Above all, the sun drives our climate systems, temperatures, precipitation, wind, evapotranspiration, and it drives photosynthesis.
And photosynthesis is the process where sunlight, water and carbon dioxide are absorbed by plants to make glucose. Glucose is an energy source for plants.
In addition, higher levels of solar radiation are received at the surface when the sun is higher in the sky, the days are longer, and the skies are clearer.
On the other hand, solar radiation levels are potentially reduced when the air contains soot, ground-level ozone and other air pollutants.
Next, solar heat drives the water cycle, and influences direct climatic parameters including temperature, precipitation, and wind.
And solar heat influences various indirect climatic parameters. Combined, these parameters play an important role in plant growth and development.
In summary, net solar radiation received at the surface is important for crop production. It is one of various parameters used to project crop yields.
Carbon & Carbon Dioxide
In the carbon cycle, carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, soil, ocean, solid earth, and the Earth’s atmosphere.
And the soil carbon pool is approximately 3 times larger than the atmospheric carbon pool. Alternately, the biomass carbon reservoir (trees and plants) stores a relatively smaller amount of carbon.
Because atmospheric carbon dioxide acts like a blanket or the glass in a greenhouse, it has a warming effect. It keeps our planet several degrees warmer than otherwise.
Therefore, the concentration of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the atmosphere influence temperature at the earth’s surface.
Over past millennia, annual outgoing carbon dioxide releases from decomposition balanced incoming carbon dioxide absorption by plants. Therefore, the carbon exchanges among the major carbon storage reservoirs were in balance.
Also, the relatively stable atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide resulted in favourable temperatures.
So, these stable temperatures supported the development of both agriculture and human populations.
However, recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have resulted in increasing atmospheric temperatures. Increasing temperatures influence various direct and indirect climatic parameters.
Therefore, changes in the carbon cycle, and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations influence temperature and in turn related climate parameters.
In addition, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations also influence carbon dioxide fertilization by plants, nitrogen absorption by plants, and other crop productivity factors.
Water is a Natural Resource for Crop Production
In the Water Cycle or the hydrological cycle, water in its different states continuously moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and cryosphere.
First, the Water Cycle is also known as the hydrological cycle. And throughout this cycle, water is found in 1 of 3 states: liquid, ice, or gas.
Second, the 4 main stages in the water cycle are evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation.
So, in the water cycle, water evaporates from the surface of the earth and rises into the atmosphere. At higher elevations, it cools and condenses into rain or snow in clouds. It then falls back to the surface in one of the precipitation forms.
Above all, water is essential for all living things. And water is an essential natural resource for crop production.
However, agriculture accounts for 70% of water usage globally. In addition, food processing operations consume notable quantities of water for bottling, cleaning, and sanitation needs.
Climate Systems for Crop Production
Key is that the Earth’s climate arises from the complex interaction of five major climate system components:
- atmosphere (air)
- hydrosphere (water)
- lithosphere ((earth’s upper rocky layer)
- biosphere (living things)
- cryosphere (ice and permafrost)
First, atmospheric circulation involves the large-scale movement of air. With this air movement, thermal energy is redistributed around the surface of the Earth.
Second, atmospheric circulation (winds) and ocean circulation (flows) transfer heat from the equator toward the poles, and cold from the poles toward the equator.
Also, the oceans cover around 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface. Hence oceans play an important role in the Earth’s climate systems.
For example, oceans transport heat from the tropics to higher latitudes. The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt is a continuously moving system of deep-ocean circulation. Temperature and salinity drive this underwater conveyor belt.
And finally, the cryosphere is where water is in a solid form (ice caps, ice sheets, glaciers, snow, and permafrost). The cryosphere also plays a significant role in the global climate systems.
In summary, the historical interactions of these climate system components have helped to create favourable climate systems. And favourable climate is important for crop production.
Holocene Epoch
The Holocene Epoch is a geological era covering the past several thousand years. Over this epoch, the relative stable atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide resulted in favourable temperatures.
First, the temperature reconstruction of the relatively stable Holocene Epoch illustrates that temperatures over most of this period remained within a favourable plus or minus one-half a degree Celsius. (Note: the temperature range illustrated is compared to the average temperature over these thousands of years).
Second, these favourable temperatures supported both agriculture and human development.
However, in recent years, human activities have increased the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. These increases have resulted in increasing global temperatures.
Therefore, these increases cause major changes in our natural systems.
One definition of ‘anthro’ is human-like. And appropriately the proposed name for this new geologic epoch is the Anthropocene.
And on reflection, it may be appropriate to establish a new epoch to reflect the dominant influence that human activity is now having on our climate and natural systems.
- Last Modified: May 17, 2024