BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
FACULTY OF SCEINCE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
NAME : MAFASHU ELISHA
REG NO. : B1437735
PROGRAMME : DIPLOMA IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
COURSE : BZ003 PLANT AND ANIMAL NUTRITION
ACCADEMIC YEAR : PART 1.2 [2014]
LECTURER : MS MUYAMBO
ASSIGNMENT : 3
TOPIC: Write notes on the following;
. Hydroponic [10 marks]
. Neural and hormonal control of digestive system [10 marks]
. C3, C4 and CAM plants [10 marks]
. Symptoms of deficiency of macro minerals in plants [10 marks]
(a). Hydroponic is a soil-free plant growing system, where a controlled nutrient rich solution supplies plant roots with nourishment. These systems may be stored outdoors with overflow safeguards, contained in greenhouses or within buildings with artificial lighting to supply essential ultraviolet radiation for plant growth. In hydroponic system plants may be supported in porous media, pots, perforated tubes or channels. Water with nutrients and other garden chemicals in solution are recycled and replenished until harvest or build-up contaminants such as salts or pathogens requires the solution to be replaced.
Hydroponic system has been successfully employed for the commercial production of seedless cucumbers, tomatoes and even lettuce. The system has been favoured by most growers for its benefits. It enables crops to be produced on non-arable land with poor soils and contaminations, that is, with high salinity levels. In this case the grower does not to have good soils since the pots or bags are placed on top of the ground. Plant roots do not grow through the soil that might contain diseases or pests such as nematodes; instead they are contained in bags or pots.
(b). Digestive system in a human body is not as simple as it sounds. A good digestion, which is the breaking down of food into smaller soluble particles, is...