Science 4th

Unit 6 Wild plants and crops

HABITAT
Plants need sunlight, water, mineral salts and carbon dioxide to
carry out photosynthesis in order to make the own food.
The place where plants can get what they need to survive is its
habitat.
PLANT SENSITIVITY
Plants do not have senses organs but they respond to changes in
the environment:
With rapid movements like the mimosa
With movements related to growth:
ROOTS grow downwards in search humidity
STEM and LEAVES grow towards light
Adapting themselves to the four seasons
Opening and closing its flowers in different times of the day.
THE CYCLE OF PLANTS
It is the different stages of its live. There are two types:
ANNUAL PLANTS: One year to complete its cycle:
In the spring are born, grow and reproduce
In the summer they die and disappear (but their seeds remain in
the soil)
PERENNIAL PLANTS: has got a long life cycle (even thousands of
years)
- Perennial grasses: stem and leaves disappears every year but
some organs remain underground.
- Trees and bushes: they grow throughout their life cycle.
VEGETATION
It is all the plants in an area, region or country.
Plants are affected by the climate, the relief, the humidity and
the soil.
There are different types:
- Forest: many trees, high humidity and fertile soil.
- Shrubland: many bush, low humidity and poor soil.
- Grassland: many grasses and long periods of drought.

Science 4th
Unit 6 Wild plants and crops

- Desert: Very few plants, very little water and arid soil.

CROP FARMING
It is the activity of cultivating plants to obtain corps to obtain
different products:
- FOOD like cereals, fruits and vegetables.
- RAW MATERIALS to make fabric, cosmetics or medicines.
- FEED ANIMALS like hay.

THE PROCESS OF FARMING

PLOUGHING: Turn the soil to make it ready
SOWING: Place seeds in the soil
FERTILIZING: Fertilizers with mineral salts
IRRIGATION: Water the crops (sprinkler, drip and flood irrigation)
FUMIGATION: Spray plants with pesticides to stops insects harming
it.
PRUNING: Some branches are cut.
HARVESTING: The farmers collect mature crops from fields.

TYPES OF CROPS
According by how much water they need to grow:
Dry crops: they only need rainfall (wheat, barley, olives trees)
Irrigated crops: They need that farmers water it (corn, tomatoes,
rice)
According by type of plant:
Herbaceous crops: they have to be planted every year (cereals and
garden plants like tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes)
Trees and bushes: they are only planted once (fruit trees, olive trees
and vines)

Science 4th
Unit 6 Wild plants and crops

GREENHOUSE
A greenhouse is a building made of glass or plastic that allows light
through but keeps the heat in.
Temperature and humidity can be easily controlled in this place.
TYPES OF VEGETATION

AREA

FOREST

SHRUBLAN
D

GRASSLAN
D

DESERT

Area where
many trees
grow close
together

Area
dominated
by bushes

Area
dominated
by grasses

Area with
few plants

HUMIDIT high
Y

low

low

low

SOIL

poor

poor

arid

fertile

example
s

TYPES OF VEGETATION

AREA

FOREST

SHRUBLAN
D

GRASSLAN
D

DESERT

Area where
many trees
grow close
together

Area
dominated
by bushes

Area
dominated
by grasses

Area with
few plants
(cactuses)

HUMIDIT high
Y

low

low

low

SOIL

poor

poor

arid

fertile

Science 4th
Unit 6 Wild plants and crops

example
s