pros and cons of crop rotation

Another upside of soil rotation is that it can also prevent soil erosion and landslides. The primary advantages of crop rotation include preserving fertile soil, enhancing the health of crops and minimizing the amount of pests, while the primary drawbacks and challenges include lingering fungi and pests. Before jumping feet first into yet another ‘new’ agricultural practise like intercropping, it is wise to first carefully consider the intricacies of the process – with all the associated pros and cons – and there really are two sides to this coin! Rotating crops improves soil tilth and microbial communities, which in turn brings down soil erosion because it enhances water infiltration, minimized surface runoff, and a more stable soil structure. Monoculture has the advantage that farmers can maximize the yield around one single plant that provides enormous crop yields, which in turn also maximizes the profits of farmers. As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics. Rotating garden crops to new areas each year assists in preventing disease and reduces insect pests. For instance, one plant may have much longer roots than others, which can loosen up the soil and improve the overall soil structure. 3. 4. As a result, more people are taking a closer look and renewed interest in crop rotation. Pros and cons of alternative breakcrops to OSR. Let’s explore the pros and cons of the cover crop system. Dec. 30, 2020. Multiple cropping systems is not a new technique, it is practicing in: Egypt 300B.C. The crop rotation definition can be put like changing different kinds of crops year by year in the same field. However, there are also several issues related to it. If there is only one sort of crop all over the year, chances are that all sorts of vermin will be able to spread across large fields and the yields may significantly suffer due to that. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet. This also means there is less need to use insecticides and other chemicals that can deplete soil and plant nutrition and affect the quality of the produce. However, agriculture practices changed in the 1940s and 1950s when high fossil fuel technologies and intensified monocultural cropping was adopted on most lands, with producers believing that these would be more beneficial than the rotating method. The standard recommendation for rotating crops uses a three-year cycle. In those regions, every gallon of water has to be used as efficiently as possible in order to assure reasonable crop yields. 29 Pros & Cons You Have To Know, Wildfires: All Hot Causes, Effects & Solutions, 25 Fast Pros & Cons Of Being A Bus Driver, 24 Heavy Pros & Cons Of Being A Construction Worker, 33 Hot Pros & Cons Of Being A Firefighter, Housing Shortage: Causes, Effects & Solutions, Missing infrastructure around crop rotation, No magic pill to solve agricultural problems. The pros and cons of cover crops . Among others, articles have been cited by NPOs, Wikipedia, Medium.com as well as on several college websites and lifestyle blogs. By rotating to various crops, you may not be planting the one crop that would make the most profit that year. The diversity in root structure enhances the chemical, biological, and physical structure of the soil. However, by planting multiple sorts of crops, the risk to lose significant fractions of the overall yield decreases since different crops have different characteristics and some may be much better able to defend against pests than others. There is often a conflict between the short-term vs. long-term maximization of profits. Different crops have different characteristics and in order to optimize the yield of every crop, the soil has to be optimized according to that. For instance, in quite hot and dry parts of our planet, crop rotation might not work since only a single strain of crops will be able to survive those extreme conditions and to grow in a sufficient manner. While farming just one strain of a quite resistant plant may be able to deal with those extreme conditions, a fraction of crops that are planted due to crop rotation may be less resistant and therefore, the risk that a fraction of the overall yield is lost in crop rotation processes can be higher compared to the use of monoculture farming. For instance, if you want to plant multiple different crops, you have to get additional equipment in order to optimize the growing conditions of the different plants. July 18, 2016. Thus, in many regions all over the globe, although crop rotation would be better in the long run, farmers may still rely on monocultures due to traditions or also due to fear to lose their livelihood. Also for those companies, crop rotation requires additional organizational work since they have to process many different crops on a regular basis compared to crops from monoculture where they can optimize their processes for just a single crop. Crop rotation benefits The crop rotation technique has many advantages, such as preventing the impoverishment of the soil, since placing several types of plants implies that the requirements of each one help diversify the soil, thus providing new nourishing components just as the injection of a cocktail of vitamins would do. While monocultures might optimize profits in the short term, crop rotation will likely imply higher overall yields in the long run. It provides diversification. Rotation can improve soil structure, aeration and drainage, particularly with deep-rooted taproot crops. However, cover crops can reduce grape yields and are sometimes more work intensive than bare soil management. Rotation involving crops with higher crop residue can reduce surface crusting and water runoff, thereby improving soil moisture content for the succeeding crop. However, those cons of crop rotation may arise when we go for crop rotation with unsuitable crops like following crop rotation with cereals followed by cereals or pulse crops followed by pulse crops. Pros and Cons of Using Subsurface Drip Irrigation. One crucial advantage of crop rotation is that it vastly improves the quality of the soil. Having The Right Crop Rotation Can Improve Soil and Crop Productivity Since the nutrient and mineral supply in the soil can be assured for a long time due to crop rotation, also high crop yields will be possible for an extended period of time. Weeds can be a significant problem in agriculture since those little plants can compete for minerals and other precious components with the farmed plants which can in turn lead to lower overall crop yields. This is achieved by means of various management methods which reduces the use of chemical pesticides. 1. 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