Question

1. Modern technologies, such as global positioning systems and geographic information systems, have allowed some farmers to become more efficient through more appropriate use of fertilizers based on the varying amounts needed in soils at various locations on a farm. What is the name of such a farming system?
2. Explain to your farmer friend why a corn monocrop is not healthy for her land. List at least three benefits of crop rotation.
3. . Why do you think Texas, Minnesota, and Iowa top the charts in the total amount of erosion?
4. Please answer all 3 questions if you're unable too please just leave it alone !!!!

Answer 1

1. Name for farming system using GPS and GIS is called Precision agriculture / satellite farming / site specific crop management.

2. a. Corn crop is a cereal crop which is rich in carbohydrate. The nutrition required for such a crop are slightly different from other crops. By cultivating same crop year after year in the same field, it will deplete that particular nutrient. So crop yield will be less.

That is why we should rotate crops in a particular piece of land.

Corn crop can be rotated with a crop like bean/ pea/ pea nut. These crops require a different nutrient from the soil for them to grow. They require more N from the soil. So the yield will be more because the nutrient the crop requires is different from the previous corn crop.

b.The plants such as pea, pea nuts harbor nitrogen fixing bacteria in their nodules. Plants require Nitrogen for their growth. Growing these crops will increase the nitrogen quantity in the soil.

c.Farmers can cultivate more crops in one year instead of keeping the field fallow for a season because requirements of the crops is different. Yield from one piece of land increases as two crops are cultivated.

3. Soil erosion is loss of top soil. It occurs more because of the deforestation happening all over the world. Top soil stores all the nutrients needed by the plant and it is rich in humus.

Wind erosion due to deforestation and loosening soil is one main reason of soil erosion in Texas.

Deforestation coupled with record rain fall causes soil erosion in Minnesota.

Iowa state soil erosion is caused by more water run off from bear and slopy soil.