NEW SEASON. DIVERSE ROTATIONAL CROP.
PLANT. HARVEST. PLAN. REPEAT.
Diversity in our Island fields through crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.
Growing a diverse number of crops in a planned sequence improves soil structure and increases biodiversity in the soil.
As many Soil First Farmers prefer to say, they like to 'mix it up'.
CROP ROTATION
When the same crop is grown each year in a field, the crop ends up using the same essential nutrients repeatedly and putting the same nutrients back into the soil. This can lead to an imbalance in soil nutrients over time and can also increase the incidence of weed and disease pressures as they get used to the same crop.
By rotating different crops in the same field over time, the soil won't be depleted of specific essential nutrients as easily and will cut down the ability of pests to prefer one specific crop over time. Growing different species of plants in a rotation, allows for different root systems (some deep, some small and numerous), that can result in soils that have better air flow and water movement or penetration.
What it does
- Improves microbial diversity
- Manages weeds, insects & diseases
- Increases nutrient cycling
- Improves soil structure
- Holds soil moisture
Why it matters
- Reduces erosion
- Improves plant production
- Improves efficiency of nutrients
- Decreases use of pest control products
- Improves water quality
- Conserves water
WE LOVE OUR ROOTS
Healthy and diverse roots improve soil structure by releasing sugars and other bioactive compounds into the soil around them, acting like a glue to the soil particles. This ability to stick together supports overall soil structure and positively impacts the microbial communities, which in turn can help the soil sequester carbon, filter water, cycle nutrients and improve overall soil function. The longer the roots are in the ground, the more work they can do for the soil.
What it does
- Increases plant nutrient uptake
- Improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil
- Budgets, supplies and conserves nutrients for plant production
- Reduces nitrogen emissions
Why it matters
- Improves water quality
- Improves plant production
- Improves air quality
- Reduces erosion
PEI PRODUCERS BUILDING SOIL HEALTH THROUGH CROP ROTATION
PLANTING MORE THAN OUR WORLD FAMOUS POTATOES!
PEI Producers are continually making changes to their production practices to improve soil health, encompassing the biological, chemical and physical qualities of soil. A key component for this is crop rotations, and adopting crops or mixtures of crop species which can build organic matter, reduce the incidence of soil-borne pests and diseases, and improve soil structure.
YELLOW FIELDS, WHITE FIELDS, BROWN FIELDS, AND MORE!
Islanders and visitors will likely notice fields of yellow-flowered mustard or white-flowered buckwheat on their travels around the province this summer. These crops were introduced to PEI primarily to battle wireworm, but both have been shown to have beneficial effects on subsequent potato yields and soil health characteristics when they are incorporated into the soil as a “green manure” crop.
Other crops which are being grown on Prince Edward Island to help build soils include mustard seed, sorghum sudangrass, pearl millet, hairy vetch, and oilseed radish, among others. In some cases, mixtures of multiple plant species are grown together, as plant diversity has been shown to foster a diversity of beneficial micro-organisms and insects.
Originally published by PEI Potato Board
