The original meaning of this word deals with Middle English denoting the

AGRICULTURE AS А NATURAL SCIENCE

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel and other products used to sustain human life. Agriculture is also called farming or husbandry. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science.

The word agriculture is the English adaptation of Latin agricultūra, from ager, "a field", and cultūra, "cultivation". In the strict sense it means "tillage of the soil". Thus, a literal reading of the word yields "tillage of fields". The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies. However, all farming generally relies on techniques to expand and maintain the lands that are suitable for raising domesticated species. The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials. In the 21st century, plants have been used to grow biofuels,

biopharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. Specific foods include cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meat. Fibers include cotton,

wool, hemp, silk and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo. Biofuels include methane from biomass, ethanol, and biodiesel. Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins. Cut flowers, nursery plants, tropical fish and birds for the pet trade are some of the ornamental products.

3. 
   SOIL
   

1 It seems everybody knows what is the soil itself. However the scientific interpretation of the soil differs from its general meaning. Let`s look for its interpretation in agricultural science.

2 Soil is a natural body consisting of layers (soil horizons) that are composed of minerals. But those minerals differ from their parent materials in their texture, structure, consistency, color, chemical, biological and othercharacteristics. It is known as the unconsolidated or loose covering of fine rock particles that covers the surface of the earth. Soil is commonly referred to as "earth" or "dirt" (technically, the term "dirt" should be restricted to displaced soil).

3 You can see a structure filled with pore spaces in soil forms. Soil can be thought of as a mixture of mineral and organic materials in the form of solids, gases and liquids. Accordingly, soils are often treated as a three-state system. Most soils have a density between 1 and 2 g/cm³.

4 Soil is composed of particles of broken rock (parent materials) which have been altered by physical, chemical and biological processes. Consequently, soil is altered from its original material by the interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Soil is influenced by some factors, such as the climate (temperature, precipitation), relief (slope), organisms (flora and fauna), parent materials (original minerals), and time.