CROP ROTATION AND

CONSERVATION
TILLAGE
An Environmental Science
Presentation
 GROUP MEMBERS

01 02 03 04

ROMIQUE SHANICE ANNASTAJAH

DANIELLE HENRY
LESLIE CLARKE WILLIAMS
CROP ROTATION
 WHAT IS CROP
ROTATION?
Crop rotation is the process of producing a variety of crops in the same place over the course of
several growing seasons. It lessens dependency on a single source of nutrients, insect and
weed pressure, and the likelihood that resistant weeds and pests may emerge. Monocropping,
or growing the same crop in the same spot for several years in a row, gradually depletes the
soil of some nutrients and favors a highly competitive community of pests and weeds. The
production of monocultures is heavily reliant on outside inputs if nutrient utilization is not
balanced and insect and weed communities are not varied. Conversely, by more effectively
utilising ecosystem services provided by a variety of crops, a well-designed crop rotation can
lower the demand for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Crop rotations can also boost soil
organic matter and structure, which decreases erosion and strengthens the resilience of farm
systems.
 TYPES OF CROP ROTATION AND
ROTATION STRATEGIES
There are 4 types of crop rotation:
1. One-year rotation
2. Two-year rotation
3. Three-year rotation
4. Four-year rotation

There are also some things to take heed of when rotating crops to ensure a good harvest:\

• Rotate by plant family.

• Rotate by plant part harvested.
• Rotate by plant compatibility.
• Rotate by nutrient requirements.
• Rotate by rooting depth and type.
• Include legumes and cover crops.
There are seven (7) steps to ensure a good crop rotation plan:

1. Identify and prioritize your goals for the land you are working with. Your goals may be to be build
better, healthier soils, control pests, minimize soil-borne diseases, reduce weed pressure and to
produce the most nutritious foods possible.

2. Write down the mix of fruits, vegetables and cover crops that you plan to grow next season along
with each crop’s planting and harvesting dates.

3. Write the plant's family name next to each crop and then add up the amount of garden space in
square feet. If one family will be grown on more than 25 percent of your garden, consider
increasing the diversity of your crop mix. Having most of your crops in one family may lead to
soil-borne diseases because of too quick a rotation.

4. Make a crop rotation planning map. Think about how you will divide your garden into small units of
somewhat equal sizes. These units could be long rows or individual beds of any shape. Making this
map and having your garden divided into these units allows you to keep track of what you planted
on a piece of ground years later. The map of your garden will show every unit. The map should be
large enough so that information can be written inside each unit. For this mapmaking, 12 x 16 sketch
paper or a computer works well. When you are done making your map and before you start filling
in each unit’s information, make at least six to eight copies. Next, assign a color for each plant
family, cover crop, mulch and fallow periods.
5. On another copy of your map, designate each crop to as many units as you need to meet the area of
your specific crop mix. If a unit will be double or triple-cropped, separate their names with dashes such
as May lettuce-buckwheat cover-fall spinach. If you plan on growing two or more of the same crop
family on a unit, use slashes to indicate this (tomato/peppers/potato). When placing a crop onto a unit,
try to pair crop families together on a given unit, but avoid placing a family onto a unit that has had that
same family on the unit in the previous few years. At this time you may match the colors you’ve chosen
for families and color them onto the appropriate units.

6. Once you have your maps finished with the crops written inside each unit, numbered and colored,
along with any other usable information, then take your maps and walk your garden. Imagine how it
will look and consider the tillage, planting, care, and harvesting of your crops and if the proposed crop
sequence makes sense for a given location. At this time also take into consideration equipment,
irrigation and labor needs.

7. Develop a backup plan by thinking ahead to any problems that may arise with growing a crop within
a unit, such as if spring may be too wet for early planted crops or certain transplants are unavailable at
a critical time or who will take over your labor duties if something happens to you and you have to be
away for an extended period of time. Write down your backup plans for coping with various problems
and make provisions for these possible problems.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Advantages of crop rotation Disadvantages of crop rotation

• Increased soil fertility since planting different • Growing conditions might not be favorable for
crops helps to preserve the quality of the soil. some crops.
• Increased crop yield due to the presence of • Plenty of knowledge and experience is
nutrients for optimum production. required for success.
• Reduced soil erosion since crops help to • Sudden weather changes/events can destroy
anchor soil. sensitive crops.
• There is less need for fertilizers since nutrients • Additional machinery may be required to
are being conserved which promote excellent optimize the soil which can be very costly.
crop production.
• Less water wastage since the soil texture can
be altered to be better able to retain water.
• Sustainable farming is carried out which helps
to assure food supply since not just one type of
crop is always being cultivated.
SOME CROPS GROWN USING CROP ROTATION
tomato cabbage onion

carrot watermelon
peas
CONSERVATION
TILLAGE
WHAT IS CONSERVATION TILLAGE?

In order to maximize specific economic and environmental benefits,

conservation tillage is an agronomic management strategy that tries to
minimize the amount or intensity of tillage operations.

Reduced use of farm machinery and equipment, lower carbon dioxide

and greenhouse gas emissions and lower fuel and labor expenses are a
few of these benefits. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that
conservation tillage techniques enhance soil health, lessen runoff, and
restrict the degree of erosion. A well-developed and well-integrated
conservation tillage method can support the sustainability of an
agricultural system and offer a variety of potential environmental and
financial benefits.
 TYPES OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE
There are several types of reduced or low-intensity tillage, including mulch till, ridge-till, strip-till, and
no-till; under no-till farming, the soil is not tilled at all.

Mulch tillage includes the uniform spreading of residue on the soil surface, planning the number,
sequence, and timing of tillage operations to achieve the prescribed amount of surface residue
needed and using planting equipment designed to operate in high residue situations.

Ridge tillage is a form of conservation tillage where the farmer builds ridges or raised beds. Planting
is completed on the ridge and usually involves the removal of the top of the ridge. Ridge tillage can
improve soil health, reduce erosion and runoff.

Strip tillage or zonal tillage refers to a system where strips 5 to 20 cm in width are prepared to
receive the seed whilst the soil along the intervening bands is not disturbed and remains covered
with residues. The system causes more soil disturbance and provides less cover along the rows than
zero tillage.

No-till farming is an agricultural technique in which the soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the
residue is left on the soil surface. It is the most effective soil conservation system.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
CONSERVATION TILLAGE

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

• Improvement in soil health by increasing organic • Expensive equipment/ a lot of manual labor is
matter concentration. required.

• Reduction in run-off of water and increase in • There is a contribution of greenhouse gas

infiltration rates. emissions.

• Limit in the extent of soil erosion. • More chemicals (herbicides, pesticides) are
required.
CROPS GROWN USING CONSERVATION TILLAGE

sunflower; ridge
corn; mulch

pumpkin; mulch carrot; ridge

 CROPS GROWN USING CONSERVATION TILLAGE
CONT’D
sugarcane; strip
strawberry; no-till

beetroot; no-till

soybean; strip
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