crop rotation

American  

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.

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crop rotation British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of crop rotation

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

A professor of agriculture at Kansas State, Fred is a trans man who understands the dangers of isolation and is never too busy to ask “How are you feeling?” or offer nonjudgmental advice on everything from crop rotation to matters of the heart.

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

From Seattle Times

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

"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