Agronomy is the science and technology of using plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science.
[1] Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, ecology, earth science, and genetics.
Agronomists today are involved with many issues including producing food, creating healthier food, managing environmental impacts, and creating energy from plants.
[2] Agronomists often specialize in areas such as
crop rotation,
irrigation and
drainage,
plant breeding,
soil classification,
soil fertility,
weed control,
insect and
pest control and other areas.
This area of high demand in agronomy involves selective breeding of plants to produce the best crops under various conditions. Plant breeding has increased crop yields and has improved the nutritional value of several crops, including corn, soybeans, and wheat. It also has led to the development of new types of plants. For example, a hybrid grain called triticale was produced by crossbreeding rye and wheat. Triticale contains more usable protein than does either rye or wheat. Agronomy has also been instrumental in fruit and vegetable production research. It is understood that the role of agronomist includes seeing whether produce from a field of 'x' meets the following conditions 1. Land and water access, 2. Commercialisation (market), 3. Quality and quantity of inputs, 4. Risk protection (insurance), 5. Agricultural credit.
Agronomists use biotechnology to extend and expedite the development of desired characteristics listed in the Plant Breeding section.[3] Biotechnology is is often a lab activity requiring field testing of the new crop varieties that are developed.
In addition to increasing crop yields, reducing crop vulnerability to environmental stresses, improving health and taste of foods, and reducing the need for field applied chemicals, agronomic biotechnology is increasingly being applied for novel uses other than food. For example, oilseed is at present used mainly for margarine and other food oils, but it can be modified to produce fatty acids for detergents, substitute fuels and petrochemicals.[4]
