Crop Rotation
/krop roh-TAY-shun/🧑🌾 Cultivation● Basic
Crop rotation involves planting different crop families in a planned sequence across growing seasons to break pest and disease cycles, balance nutrient demands, and improve soil health. A typical four-year rotation might alternate heavy feeders (corn, tomatoes), legumes (beans, peas for nitrogen fixation), root crops (carrots, potatoes), and cover crops. This reduces reliance on chemical inputs and maintains soil fertility.
Etymology
From Old French croppe (harvest) + Latin rotationem (a turning)
Example
“Following a three-year crop rotation broke the cycle of clubroot that had been devastating the brassica beds.”