Sustainable Gardening - Biodiversity In The Garden
by John Yazo
Biodiversity includes all varieties of life on earth and at all levels. It also includes all species of life, even organisms like fungi and microbes. Biodiversity is very important, habitats and the species they attract all play a very important role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem in all areas of the world, even remote areas.
Even for the small backyard garden, biodiversity is essential for the existence of the natural biological systems and processes that provide for the crops to grow healthy in them. Unfortunately in all areas of the world we are experiencing a rapid loss of biodiversity, due from human induced pollution to the environment. Unsustainable human activity is the greatest threat to biodiversity, causing environmental destruction of beneficial habitats, the killing of living organisms, the reduction of genetic diversity and species extinction.
Biodiversity in a small home garden alone includes; Species diversity, the variety of species both plant and animal. Genetic diversity, the variety of genes contained in all individual organisms, and ecosystem diversity, the biological communities that exist and the ecological processes that occur. This ecosystem that exists in a garden is one that provides many services, pollination, nutrient cycle, even natural pest and disease control, along with water purification, to name a few. A healthy environment will produce healthy plants, that in return will produce a healthy crop.
Plant life and soil both play a very important part in the biodiversity of a garden. The most common seeds purchased by the home gardener are hybrid. F1 hybrid seeds are the first generation offspring of two genetically different plants produced by artificial methods of pollination, and bred for specific traits. These traits are commonly bred specially for their uniform appearance, disease resistance and their ability to withstand mechanical harvesting, along with the ability to endure lengthy transportation.
All plants contain their own unique genetic information, it is what tells the plant how to grow. All varieties of a given species have similar traits and different genetic composition, therefore giving them different characteristics. The genetic composition not only has an influence on the appearance and flavor of fruits and vegetables, it also affects the ability for a plant to withstand drought conditions and even resistance of pests and diseases.
When heirloom and native plant varieties become extinct, we not only will lose their distinctive appearances and flavors, we will also lose the genetic diversity that have to offer. Heirloom and native plants have a lot to offer, along with many benefits to the ecosystem.
More On MicroFarming
If you would like to comment on this website or have any suggestions please feel free to contact us
