Crop rotation is an agricultural practice that consists of alternate different crops in an area intended for cultivation. The choice of species is planned, as well as their alternation. According to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), this iscnica reduces the vulnerability created by monoculture, that is, the cultivation of a single species, therefore, environmentally self-sustaining.
Purpose of crop rotation
O main objective of crop rotation is to promote the conservation and preservation of ground. By choosing different species to be alternated, the root systems particular to each one end up softening the effects of soil compaction, as each requires a different type of nutrient, thus decreasing ground.
readalso:Types of soil in Brazil
Choice of species
Species selected for crop rotation must to introducepurposecommercial it's from recoveryofground. This choice, in addition to following this criterion, also needs:
To generatephytomass (mass of living beings that inhabit a certain surface) sufficient to soften erosive processes and also reduce temperature fluctuations;
Promote the reductiongiveslossinWater by evapotranspiration;
To guarantee conditionsfavorable to the soil in order to reduce the action of pests and diseases;
to possess requirementsnutritional and enjoymentnutritious different between one species and another.
According to Embrapa, the choiceof thespecies It is too related with features and conditionsenvironmental area of cultivation, whether climate, type of soil, among others.
Crop rotation and agriculture
Crop rotation represents a sustainable production alternative for agriculture.
THE rotation ofcultures is alternative to one of the most common practices in agriculture, especially in Brazil, the monoculture. the cultivation of oneonlyspecies in a certain area causes soil exhaustion and it favors the pest cycle, making areas unusable and allowing possible damage to the plantation and consequently putting productivity at risk.
Read more:climate and agriculture
Thus, switching species in a given area becomes a practicewhatprovokeany lessimpacts environmental negative, as well as favoring production. Crop rotation, according to Embrapa, is allied with No-tillage system.
According to the company, this system It consistsinto dothe planting of a certain species directly on the straw of the previously cultivated species. This practice, therefore, noperforms the steps of preparationhabitual such as plowing (soil inversion technique) and harrowing (step performed after plowing the soil that consists of breaking the clods left by the plowing process, making the soil flat).
Thus, the alternation of crops together with the No-Till System decreasesthe impact provoked by flowshallow from water, maintains the temperature of the soil and conserves its moisture.
Benefits
Rotating crops in the same area prevents soil compaction and increases productivity.
Crop rotation in addition to provide diversified production, it is an important strategy for sustainable agricultural production. Its benefits are countless. The first one is the soil conservation, allowing the area to remain suitable for cultivation for a long time.
It avoids compaction and nutritional exhaustion of it. By avoiding possible soil compaction, there is better water infiltration through the pores present in the soil, favoring an increase in biological activity.
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This technique also works positively on pest, disease and weed control, avoiding further damage to the plantation and thus ensuring a better productivity. This is possible because the specieshavesusceptibility and resistance different to pests. So there is also lower cost of pesticides. It is worth emphasizing that this technique should be used as a form of prevention rather than remediation.
Disadvantages
The crop rotation technique, despite its numerous benefits, has some disadvantages such as:
your achievement requireaplanningstrategicdifficult, thinking not only about the choice of species, but also about the environmental conditions of the area and the commercial purpose.
There are, many times, biggernecessityininvestments, especially in machinery.
mechanization requireoneGoodmanagement from work.
There is usually biggerdifficultyin if getcredits and investments when the chosen culture is of lesser expression in the market.
Crop succession x crop rotation
Unlike crop rotation that alternates species in an area in a planned way, crop succession represents a technique in which two or more species are cultivated in sequence., also in the same area in a given period. The succession of cultures does not take into account the botanical family of the species.
Example: it is cultivated in sequence maize-wheat-corn
This practice can cause physical, chemical and biological degradation of the soil, influencing productivity and also favoring the cycle of pests and diseases.
