Tillage

Crop Rotation

Monoculture

Definition

To make a trough in the land where farmers would place seeds.

Grow two or more crops, alternating every year or every season.

Grow one crop, or plant, every year, and every season.

Purpose

Seeds need to be placed in the ground. Tillage is a faster method than digging hundreds of holes.

Does not deplete the soil in nutrients, by using plants with different nutrient needs, and plants that replace the lost nutrients from last year.

You know that crop very, very well.

Problem

Soil Erosion (worst case causes landslides).

Conventional Tillage loosens the soil on the crest of the trough, which can be washed away by rains, or blown away by wind.

You have to know every crop very well, and know if they would help replace lose nutrients.

One crop that uses same nutrients (food) every year, so the soil will run out of those nutrients.

Alternative

• No-tillage (reduces the depth and width of the trough, and it does not loosen the soil.)
• Disk Tillage
• Strip Rotary tillage (uses circular-saw like devices to cut into the ground, that does not loosen the soil).
• Chiseling (cuts, chisels troughs in the ground without loosen the soil).

Monoculture.

Crop Rotation.

Date

Assignment Points

My Points

Group

Assignment

Assigned

Turned In

Per Assign

Cumulative

Per Assign

Cumulative

Points

Student Information Sheet

8/23/00

8/24/00

2

2

2

2

Farming and Biology

8/24/00

8/25/00

2

4

2

4

Tillage/Crop Rotation

8/25/00

8/28/00

2

6

2

6

Man’s Influ. by Fishing

8/28/00

8/29/00

2

8