Fallow

Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting the lifecycles of pathogens by temporarily removing their hosts.

A ploughed field left unsown

Fallowing is also essential to biodiversity,[1] which ensures the presence of predators which can control pests.

It is a technique often used in crop rotation. Existing weeds may be affected by predators and pests. These, along with the use of green manure can ensure the restoration of depleted nutrients to the soil composition before another crop cycle.[2]

See also

References
  1. Traba, Juan; Morales, Manuel B. (1 July 2019). "The decline of farmland birds in Spain is strongly associated to the loss of fallowland". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 9473. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45854-0. PMC 6603185. PMID 31263119.
  2. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/what-is-fallow-ground.htm

 


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.