Water Cycle | Importance Of Water To Crops

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Hello welcome to this blog on water cycle: definition of water cycle, importance of water to crops and ways of conserving water in the soil.

Table Of Contents

  1. Definition of water cycle.
  2. Ways which atmospheres receives water
  3. Ways which lands receive water.
  4. Forms in in which water exist in the soil.
  5. Ways of conserving water in the soil.
  6. Revision Questions

WATER CYCLE

Definition: Water cycle is defined as the continuous movement of water from the atmosphere to the Earth and from the Earth to the atmosphere.

The Atmosphere receives water through

  • Evaporation from oceans and land.
  • Transpiration from plants
  • Breathing or respiration by plants and animals.

The Land receives water through

  • Rainfall or precipitation
  • infiltration and percolation.

Importance of Water to Crops

  1. Water provides the medium for absorption of mineral salts.
  2. It facilitate the transfer of nutrients to other parts of plants where they are used in various metabolic processes.
  3. Water is an essential raw material in the process of photosynthesis.
  4. It is used for hydrolyzing food substances such as starch, proteins, fats and oil for easy transmission to other parts of the plants.
  5. Water facilitate enzymatic activities occurring in crop plants.
  6. It is a constituent of plant protoplasm.
  7. The loss of water through transpiration is important for keeping the stomata open in gaseous exchange for respiration and photosynthesis.
  8. It has a cooling effect of crops.
  9. It helps to maintain plant turgor or turgidity.
  10. It helps to also sustain life
  11. It helps in seed germination.

Forms in which water exist in the soil

The forms in which water exist in the soil include the following:

  • Hydroscopic water
  • Capillary water
  • Gravitational water.

Ways of conserving water in the soil

The ways of conserving water in the soil includes the following:

  1. Stoppage or reduction of surface water run-off.
  2. Addition of humus or organic manure.
  3. Removal of weeds to reduce transpiration and water loss.
  4. Mulching
  5. Cover cropping
  6. Contour ridging
  7. Appropriate tillage.
  8. Strip cropping

Revision Questions

  1. State six importance of water to crops.
  2. State four ways of conserving water in the soil.
  3. What is water cycle?
  4. What are the forms in which water exist in the soil?
  5. List the three methods by which atmosphere receives water.

In my next blog I will be teaching you about nitrogen cycle, meaning, formation and importance. To join the class [Click Here]

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