3 main reasons why farmers should rotate crops
Reading time: 10 min
What is crop rotation and why it's so important to do it right.
Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops in the same field over several seasons. To be precise, this means rotating between crops and fallow, a plowed, harrowed field left for a season without being sown. Farmers consider different factors when planning their crop rotation: the soil type, climate, amount of precipitation, herbicide residues, and market demand for agriculture products.
Crop rotation works differently from region to region. For example, rotating soybeans and corn is perfect in the United States. But regardless of regional differences, farmers can benefit from making crop rotation a standard practice for three reasons.
Reason #1:
Pest and disease protection
By rotating crops in a field, you deprive parasites of their habitual environment, thereby preventing crop diseases. The reverse is also possible. If crop rotation isn't done correctly, you can infect your next crop with diseases from the previous one. For example, the beet cyst eelworm (Heterodera schachtii) that infects sugar beets also affects rapeseed. That means that farmers should avoid planting these crops in the same field one after the other.
When planning crop rotation, keep in mind the residual effects of the herbicides you used to treat previous crops. For example, the residual effect of sulfonylurea herbicides can adversely affect sugar beets, while triazine herbicides may negatively impact alfalfa seedlings.
When planning crop rotation, keep in mind the residual effects of the herbicides you used to treat previous crops. For example, the residual effect of sulfonylurea herbicides can adversely affect sugar beets, while triazine herbicides may negatively impact alfalfa seedlings.
Reason #2:
Maintaining soil fertility
If you don't rotate crops, the soil in that field will inevitably begin to lose the nutrients plants need to grow. You can avoid this by sowing crops that increase organic matter and nitrogen in the soil.
Some farmers, for instance, sow legumes to take advantage of their symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria found in the soil. Why? When coming into contact with legume roots, Rhizobia bacteria form nodules where they convert nitrogen into ammonia, which the plant uses to grow. Likewise, crucifer green manures, such as white mustard, heal the soil by releasing substances that suppress the Rhizoctonia solani fungus.
Alternating between crops with different root systems also offers benefits. Plants with longer roots can get nutrients from deeper layers of the soil than those with a shorter root system. When you alternate between crops like this, you keep the soil healthy.
And yet, even farmers that know the benefits of crop rotation still sometimes don't do it. Say that the price for corn is high for several years in a row. The temptation arises to sow the fields with it nonstop to cash in while prices are high. In the long run, however, this practice leads to problems. Soil fertility decreases and it becomes extremely difficult to grow any crop with high yields.
Some farmers, for instance, sow legumes to take advantage of their symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria found in the soil. Why? When coming into contact with legume roots, Rhizobia bacteria form nodules where they convert nitrogen into ammonia, which the plant uses to grow. Likewise, crucifer green manures, such as white mustard, heal the soil by releasing substances that suppress the Rhizoctonia solani fungus.
Alternating between crops with different root systems also offers benefits. Plants with longer roots can get nutrients from deeper layers of the soil than those with a shorter root system. When you alternate between crops like this, you keep the soil healthy.
And yet, even farmers that know the benefits of crop rotation still sometimes don't do it. Say that the price for corn is high for several years in a row. The temptation arises to sow the fields with it nonstop to cash in while prices are high. In the long run, however, this practice leads to problems. Soil fertility decreases and it becomes extremely difficult to grow any crop with high yields.
Exceptions to the rule
There are a few exceptions to the rule. One is monocultures, which yield great harvests in the same field for years. But there are also some tricks you should know about. To reduce the cost of fertilizers and pesticides, auxiliary crops can be planted with monocultures for a season, such as farmers sowing alfalfa between rows of corn. This helps increase the corn yield because alfalfa enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Exceptions to the rule
There are a few exceptions to the rule. One is monocultures, which yield great harvests in the same field for years. But there are also some tricks you should know about. To reduce the cost of fertilizers and pesticides, auxiliary crops can be planted with monocultures for a season, such as farmers sowing alfalfa between rows of corn. This helps increase the corn yield because alfalfa enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Reason #3:
Getting better insurance options
Insurance companies generally factor in crop rotation when deciding a farmer's insurance options. If you alternate crops correctly, control crop conditions, and maintain soil fertility, you boost your chances of having a good harvest. In turn, the likelihood of a bad season resulting in losses for both the farm and the insurance company decreases. That's why insurance companies view farms that practice competent crop rotation as more reliable partners.
How to plan crop rotation and save data with OneSoil
OneSoil's crop rotation feature lets you save all the information about your fields in one table. You can edit any information, such as by changing field boundaries; adding crops, varieties, and hybrids; jotting down sowing dates; and, creating seasons. The crop rotation table is available in both the mobile and web versions of OneSoil so that you always have your info at your fingertips.
OneSoil web app can also plan crop rotation for you for the current season and automatically distribute crops! All you have to do is select crops you're going to plant and specify their planting areas. If you entered crop data for previous seasons, OneSoil will take those preceding crops into consideration, too.
Give it a try and tell us how you like it in the comments.
OneSoil web app can also plan crop rotation for you for the current season and automatically distribute crops! All you have to do is select crops you're going to plant and specify their planting areas. If you entered crop data for previous seasons, OneSoil will take those preceding crops into consideration, too.
Give it a try and tell us how you like it in the comments.
Crop rotation in the OneSoil web app
Related Articles
People, fields and technology
Get all new articles straight to your inbox! You can read them even in the field.