Propagation From Cuttings
Plants produced from cuttings will be clones of the parent plant. Clone is the Greek word for twig and describes plants that are reproduced without the benefit of sexual Figure 3.3 Stem cuttings from a woody ornamental Pyracantha that have developed adventitious roots. Cuttings taken from the same plant will be genetically identical to the parent and to each other. Figure 3.3 Stem cuttings from a woody ornamental Pyracantha that have developed adventitious roots. Cuttings taken from the same...
Proposed Geographic origins of Edible Domesticated Plants
Near East, Egypt, and the Mediterranean - apple, cherry, date, fig, grape, olive, pear, plum, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, caraway, leek, carrot, hazelnut, melon, garlic, lettuce, pea, onions, beet, chard, pistachio, almond, dill, parsley, poppy, lentil, carob, and flax Mountains of Central and Western China - apricot, peach, cucumber, adzuki bean, water chestnut, wasabi horseradish, ginger, cinnamon, and bamboo Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands - grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime,...
Drip Irrigation
The water found in the pores of the soil is called the soil solution and carries dissolved nutrients as well as microbial life. Water is necessary to transfer soluble nutrients to all parts of the plant and must be present in sufficient quantities for the elongation of plant cells that contribute to growth. In waterlogged soils, water molecules displace the soil air that contains oxygen. This causes lower respiration rates in the roots and can actually decrease the ability of the plant to take...
Greenhouse Crops
One way to decrease the need for soil and water resources is with greenhouse production Figure 6.2 , although not all crops may be suitable for this. Greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, herbs, and strawberries are grown with hydroponics. Technically, the term hydroponic describes plants grown in water that has been amended with soluble nutrients, but now it is also often used to describe plants grown in some type of sterilized material to give the roots a place to...
Plant Collectors
One of the more adventurous horticultural professions is that of the plant collector. The earliest recorded expedition was by the Egyptian queen Hatusu Hatshepsut in approximately 1495 B.c. The sought-after plants in this trip were those that produced frankincense and myrrh, used in Egypt for embalming, incense, cosmetics, and medicine. The live trees were transported from the Land of Punt coastal Somalia, Eastern Sudan, Eritrea via the Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, and the Nile River. Botanical...
