crop rotation

noun

1. the system of varying successive crops in a definite order on the same ground, especially to avoid depleting the soil and to control weeds, diseases, and pests.

crop rotation

noun

1. the system of growing a sequence of different crops on the same ground so as to maintain or increase its fertility

Word History and Origins

Origin of crop rotation¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

This forces growers to maintain fertility more naturally with crop rotation and other practices, which at least helps to ensure that the land isn’t in a constant monoculture year after year.

From Salon

Earlier this month, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed weakening or cutting rules in areas like crop rotation, soil cover protection and tillage methods.

From Seattle Times

However, one often-overlooked way to ensure long-term success is raspberry crop rotation.

From Seattle Times

"Monoculture -- planting vast areas with a single crop -- is driven by technological reasons rather than biological ones. Practical aspects of planting and harvesting have motivated this approach. Traditional Native American agriculture and practices in the tropics involve polycultures with multiple species. In China, there's a movement towards mechanized polyculture production, challenging the predominant monoculture model in the United States. It's essential to view monoculture as a cost-benefit model with increased inputs and explore alternative methods like crop rotation to manage pathogens over time."

From Science Daily

While crop rotation and other farming and gardening practices long have reflected benefits of a mix of plants, the new research puts hard data to one important mechanism underpinning the observation: the numbers of microorganisms in the soil that eat plants.

From Science Daily