Effects of Hydrocarbons on Agriculture
Practically all forms of technology exact a certain price in environmental damage; agriculture is no exception. Agriculture in turn is sometimes damaged by undesirable by-products in environment.One such among them is hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbons are a class of compounds primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen, and they are major components of oil, natural gas and pesticides. These substances contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming, deplete the ozone, increase occurrences of cancer and respiratory disorders, reduce the photosynthetic ability of plants and, in the notorious form of oil spills, do untold damage to ecosystems.
Methane and Chlorofluorocarbons
Methane and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are two hydrocarbons that can drastically alter our atmosphere which cause adverse effects to plants by air pollutants that is related to meteorological conditions, particularly temperature inversions in the atmosphere. Methane is oxidised into carbon dioxide (CO2), which increases the amount of this substance in the atmosphere and adds to the greenhouse effect and global warming. CFCs are hydrocarbons used in refrigeration and aerosol cans. High up in the atmosphere, they produce chlorine and reduce the ozone layer, which protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation.
Aldehydes and Alkyl-Nitrates
Aldehydes are toxic chemicals that result from the combustion of hydrocarbons, such as burning car fuel and plywood. They have been shown to produce eye and lung irritations, possibly cause cancer and even inhibit photosynthesis in plants which leads to a drastic effect on agriculture.
Alkyl nitrites are a group of chemical compounds based upon the molecular structure R- ONO. Formally they are alkyl esters of nitrous acid. They are distinct from nitro compounds (R- NO2).They are products of hydrocarbons that chemically react with molecules in the atmosphere. They can chemically react again to produce nitrous oxide, which can affect bone marrow and possibly cause neurological effects.
The effects of hydro carbons on agricultural fields and plants
• The natural biodegradation in polluted soils in farm field is often slow due to factors such as high hydrocarbons concentrations, joint pollution with other pollutants (heavy metals), limiting nutrient content, insufficient water or oxygen supply, or low bioavailability of pollutants.
• Agricultural crops can be injured when exposed to high concentrations of hydrocarbons which leads to reduced growth and yield to premature death of plants.
• This leads to morphological, pigmented, chlorotic and necrotic foliar patterns resulting from major physiological disturbances in plant cells. Foliar symptoms are unreliable indicators of oxidant effects on plant growth or yield because photosynthate is unequally allocated in the plant metabolism and because the plants can rapidly recover from injury .
• Hydrocarbons reduce soil fertility, reduce nitrogen fixation , reduce crop yield ,deposition of silt in tanks and reservoirs.
Author : M.Deepika
