ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE.
The study and predictions of weather and climatic changes as they affect the growing of plants and the keeping of animals. Tropical plants and animals respond sharply to climatic factors like temperature, light, rainfall, etc. These factors affect the growth and production of crops and livestock.
The construction of different types of roads to suit different purposes so as to ease the transportation of agricultural products from the rural areas to the urban areas or from one country to another. This is done by agricultural engineers.
- The control of pests and diseases of crops and livestock. The science of pathology deals with either total eradication of disease pathogens or providing adequate control measures.
It also helps in the development and judicious use of chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, hebicides, avicides, nematicides, rodenticides and fumigants in order to improve the standard of crops and livestocks. ,
- Under crop improvement, the geneticist helps in the area of breeding plants and animals for different purposes, e.g. plants and animals can be produced for resistance to diseases, soil conditions, climatic factors, for early maturing crops and livestock, high yielding crops, prolific livestock, etc.
- The science of management helps in the development of the best result oriented plant and animal husbandry methods like monoculture, crop rotation, intensive farming, battery cage and deep litter systems in poultry.
- The development of machinery and other equipment like tractors, cultivators, ridgers, planters, combine harvesters, to replace old tools like hoe, cutlass. rake, etc.