crop rotation

noun

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of crop rotation

: the practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land chiefly to preserve the productive capacity of the soil

See crop rotation defined for kids

Recent Examples of crop rotation from the Web

Farmers are changing the way they farm, adding something called cover crops and changing up crop rotations.

— emily hopkins, Cincinnati.com, "Your produce is less healthy than it was 70 years ago. These farmers might change that," 4 July 2018
Rather than assuming effective new herbicides will be developed, Frisvold and Davis argued for taking a longer view of weed control that includes multiple approaches at once—like crop rotation and curbing the spread of weed seeds.

— brooke borel, Scientific American, "Weeds Are Winning the War against Herbicide Resistance," 18 June 2018
In vegetable gardens and annual flower beds which are replanted from season to season, crop rotation is important.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "How to keep insects, weeds and diseases out of your South Louisiana garden," 24 May 2018
Without organic dairy farms and their need for organic feed, Charlie Dykstra said local organic crop farmers would lose a nutrient-rich crop rotation.

— julia-grace sanders, The Seattle Times, "Area organic dairy farmers struggle with low milk prices," 8 Apr. 2018
Farms in California’s Central Valley, which produce most of the fruits and vegetables in the U.S., are heavily fertilized during multiple crop rotations throughout the year.

— deirdre lockwood, Scientific American, "California Farms Are a Silent but Sizable Source of Air Pollution," 6 Feb. 2018
Actress and director] Amy Morton refers to it as crop rotation.

— josh rottenberg, latimes.com, "Theater veterans Tracy Letts and Laurie Metcalf on sharing the screen in Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird'," 3 Nov. 2017
Grower Scott Park lays on 12 tons of organic mulch per acre of land and uses crop rotations of rice, beans, barley and wheat to nourish the soil and thereby produce more flavorful tomatoes.

— gabriella gershenson, WSJ, "The Cookies to Beat This Season," 12 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crop rotation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.