Today, when every farmer is facing a battle of food production for a growing population, crop production has become much more intensive. These farm practices, which usually include monoculture, harm soil nutrient composition and deplete this valuable natural resource. Using the same crop on the same field keeps draining the soil of essential nutrients. Monoculture combined with intensive farm production also increases crop-specific pests and causes soil erosion. This has resulted in the need for sustainable soil management practices that enhance soil properties with the use of crop rotation. Crop rotation, known as an ancient farmer’s practice, is the changing of different crops on the same piece of land during the season. It also has many benefits on plants and the soil including:
- Improved soil quality
- Enhanced soil nutrition
- Reduced pests, weeds, and pathogens
- Improved soil structure.
Planting the same crop in the same area for a long period of time leaves the soil low in nutrients, causes stunted crop growth and results in lower yields. Crop rotation mitigates that effect because a different type of crops requires different types of nutrients, thus enriching the soil with other beneficial nutrients. Crop rotation is a practice that is commonly used in vegetable and arable crops farming. Examples of good crop rotation practices are shown in the pictures below.
As one of the oldest strategies of soil management, crop rotation is one of the most effective farm practices. However, its effectiveness primarily depends on farmer’s knowledge of crop rotation rules and on farmer’s crop production record keeping. AGRIVI farm management software simplifies the tracking of crop rotation, which is especially useful for farmers with many fields and seasonal crops. By changing the crops by field and entering of all the farming data, a farmer has a clear insight into the crop’s rotation at any moment. The AGRIVI crop rotation module allows him to easily see which field is empty and to decide what to sow next.
Crop rotation overview using AGRIVI farm management software
Have an overview of your crop’s rotation with only one click; start using AGRIVI software today.
Text sources: Gardening Mentor || Wonderopolis || OISAT
Image sources:Â Science Horticulture
