plant production

• microorganisms in soil are important because they affect soil structure and fertility. Soil microorganisms can be classified as bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, and protozoa. Each of these groups has characteristics that define them and their functions in soil.
• leaf


  produce food for the plant by photosynthesis
• fruit


  seed dispersal

  bird eats seeds and fly away dumps seed, where it fertilises and grows away from original tree
• seed


  contains DNA and energy source for germination and long term survival of species and has the capacity to grow another seed
• flower


  birds are attracted to the smell, colour and picks up pollen for cross fertilisation
• stem


  provides structure support, transport
• xylem


  helps with water transport from roots to the top of the plant
• phloem


  brings sugar down from the top of the plant to the roots

  used for repairing and growing (sap)
• pollen = male gamete (sperm) in the anther of a flower
• xylem + phloem = vascular bundle
• pollen goes down the pollen tube in the female part of a plant and produces fertilised seeds
• root 


  anchorage and absorption of water and nutrient supply
• if a plant doesn't want a-sexual, the male or female part of the plant will mature before the other, therefore pollen cannot be used
• 1 cotyledon = monocot
• 2 cotyledon = dicot
• plumule = shoot
• radical = root
• any plants with parrallel veinations = monocot
• any plants with networked veinations = dicot
• monocots are soft herbacious
• dicots have a woody stem
• south west slope plains


  crops such as oat, barley, canola and lupin

  pasture crops such as lucerne, white clover, phalaris, cocksfoot, rye grass
• cereal crops


  wheat, oat, barley
• canola


  crushed for its oil content

  extra virgin = first roll of crushing oil content
• pulse crops


  beans, peas, lentils

  increases soil nitrogen and increases organic matter
• any plant with runners = stoloniferous = genetically identical plants without the fusion of gametes
• sexual reproduction


  produce of offspring by fusion of gametes, will end up genetically different
• soil profile horizons

  colour, texture, structure, pH, organic matter, parent material and water-holding capacity
• ribbon test method to measure the amount of clay or sand
• soil structure


  physical arrangement of the soil particles

  can be improved by adding organic matter
• clay expands when wet, and contracts/cracks when dry
• ideal pH of soil is 6.5-7
• 0-7 = acidic
• 7-14 = alkaline
• 1.8 tonnes per hectare of lime to move the pH scale by one index
• nitrogen, phsphrous, potassium = macro needed in maximum amounts
• phosphate is important for germination
• after vegetative growth add nitrogen in form of urea
• Australia has the lowest phosphate land
• sulphur, magnesium, calcium = secondary