Role of chemistry in agriculture

How chemistry plays an important role in the agricultural field and also in the others areas related to agriculture like irrigation etc.

1. Role of chemistry in agriculture V. Madhuri Reddy B.Sc. Forensic Science Raja Bahadur Venkata Rama Reddy Women’s College

2. introduction Around 7000BC – cultivation transformed Nomadic to settled Neolithic lifestyle Basic need of living being – FOOD Plants are Producers – Photosynthesis Agriculture – practice of producing crops and livestock from natural resources Modern agriculture – use advanced scientific techniques which rely on chemistry(ORGANIC)

3. ROLE of chemistry PHOTOSYNTHESIS: +  + Chlorophyll = Porphyrin ring coordinated to central atom ‘Mg’, acts as powerhouse Others – Light reaction – electron transport chain(PS – I & PS – II) Dark reaction – Calvin cycle Krebs cycle  

4. Fertilizers: Supply nutrients to plants for their growth 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable Categories: Organic – from living systems Inorganic – synthesized by Haber-Bosch process Counter balanced loss of land Example: UREA(carbamide) – Nitrogen-release fertilizer

5. Pesticides: Minimize the damage of crops by pests Sub-classes: Herbicides – weedkillers – Example: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid Insecticides – controls insects Fungicides – inhibits fungi or fungal spores Rodenticides – controls mice Pediculicides and Biocides Without pesticides – crop yield is reduced by 10%

6. Chemistry in other areas of agriculture Plastic pipes for improved irrigation – plastic is a polymer Storage and preservation of agricultural produce – sulfur dioxide – fresh appearance sodium benzoate, salicylic acid – preservatives ethylene, calcium carbide – ripening of fruits or vegetables NaCl2, KH2PO4, ZnSO4, MgSO4 and MnSO4 - germination of seeds Food processing – saccharin, sweeteners, vitamins, minerals etc. Chemicals from agricultural waste – alcohol from bagasse

7. Recent Trends in Advanced Polymer Materials in Agriculture Related Applications Smart polymeric systems have extensively contributed to the agricultural industry by increasing the efficiency of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers by facilitating controlled release systems and, therefore, enabling lower doses to be used. Superabsorbent polymeric materials have been used as soil conditioners to control the impact of drought, whereas polycationic polymers have been utilized for plant bioengineering.

8. THANK YOU