Because different crops have different nutritional needs and tend to be vulnerable to different diseases and pests, rotating crops that are grown in a specific location can reduce soil depletion and the need to use the same amount of pesticides and fertilizers. Why is crop rotation considered a good agricultural practice? Soil is fertile when it provides all the favorable conditions for plant growth. One of these conditions is the balanced intake of nutrients. When the same crop is grown every year in a field, the soil is left without essential nutrients for this type of crop.
Since each crop does not have the same nutrient requirements, crop rotation allows for the absorption of the various nutrients from one year to the next, depending on the crop. Each plant has its microbiological preferences (living organisms in the soil), so crop rotation allows for a better diversity of microflora. For their part, mycorrhizae, with their hyphae, will provide carbohydrates (sugars) to beneficial microbes in the soil. In other words, mycorrhizae will supply solar energy packaged in the form of liquid carbon to a wide range of soil microbes that are involved in plant nutrition and in the suppression of diseases.
1 The addition of mycorrhizae will clearly improve soil quality by building a better soil structure. Knowing that between 40 and 50% of the soil consists of pores (holes), it is good to know that mycorrhizal hyphae will open a path through this soil and, therefore, will increase water infiltration. By allowing better interconnections between soil pores, the microchannels (tunnels) created by mycorrhizal hyphae will also delay the formation of a layer of water on the soil surface. The combined effect of the four reasons above tends to show that crops will experience an increase in yield with crop rotation and why it is considered good agricultural practice.
That said, hard data is always the best to confirm the theory. Crop rotation also helps combat the forces of erosion. Crop rotation helps improve soil stability by alternating between crops with deep roots and those with shallow roots. Pests are also deterred by eliminating their food source on a regular basis.
Finally, land may be more susceptible to the forces of erosion if the same type of crop is planted repeatedly season after season. When a single crop is planted in the same place each year, the soil structure slowly deteriorates as the same nutrients are used over and over again. For example, certain crops can increase potassium levels in the soil, which can then be used by peas or corn (which require higher levels of potassium to grow). Add compost to the soil at the end of the growing season, which prepares the ground for the next year's harvest of the carrot family.
Essentially, crop rotation means growing vegetables and fruits from the same family in different areas each growing season. Now that you know why crop rotation is important, you should also keep in mind that growing healthy fruits and vegetables isn't the end. Crop rotation can take years to complete a full cycle in which the first crop originally planted on a plot of land will not be planted on the same plot for several years. Implementing crop rotation can positively affect farmers' performance, especially in turbulent times, as many family farms continue to face financial difficulties and assume unsustainable levels of debt.
A study found a 29 percent improvement in corn yield compared to continuous cultivation when done in a two-year rotation. The idea is that crops from the same families tend to attract the same diseases and use the same nutrients from the soil. According to a survey, farmers who used crop diversity with three or four crops over a ten-year period said they had made greater profits and crop yields. Build a “better” crop rotation Understand all the interactions within a rotation and their effect on yield.
Other benefits of crop rotation include the reduction of pests, weeds and harmful pathogens by frequently altering their environment. .
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