Cropping systems and soils Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is fallow?
Land not cropped for a growing season.
Summer fallow
Land not cropped during the summer
Monoculture
One crop in one field
Crop rotation
Different crops, same field, same year.
Multicropping
Different crops, same field, same year
Organic farming
Farming system using no artificial inputs, requires careful and
targeted management
Cover crops/Green manures
Crops grown for soil incorporation and
improvement
What are the advantages of monocropping?
Higher profits; Generates large volumes of specific product.
Narrows harvesting time.
Reduced cost of farm equipment.
What are the disadvantages of Monocropping?
Degrades soil structure
Increased use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
Crop Rotation Benefits
Adds temporal diversity
Ideal mix; Cereals & non-cereals, or, Winter crops & Spring crops.
BlackGrass
Caused by continuous Winter Wheat.
Germinates in Autumn.
Including spring crops in rotation controls Blackgrass.
What Is Take All?
A severe soil borne fungus affecting Wheat and Barley crops.
Synonym for Organic Farming
Biodynamic farming
What is the composition of soil?
25% Air
25% Water
45% Minerals
5% Organic Matter
What is the Field Capacity?
The max amount of water a soil can hold.
What is the Permanent Wilting Point?
The point where a plant can no longer extract water from a soil.
What is soil water availability?
The amount of water a soil can hold which is available to the plant.
Field Capacity - Permanent Wilting Point
What are the smallest organisms found in soil?
Actinomycetes
Fungi
Endophytes; symbiosis with roots.
Soil Profile: Horizons
Horizon O: Organic Matter and plants.
Horizon A: Leached topsoil (OM). Sand, silt and clay.
Horizon B: Subsoil (Leached material from horizon A).
Horizon C: Parent Material.
Horizon D: Rock base.
What is the ideal soil texture?
Loam; 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay.
What is CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) ?
Soils ability to hold onto particular nutrients (Cations, positively charged ion)
