Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #72

My name is @christabella I am from Nigeria, I want to give a full explanation for fallow. The term fallow is an agricultural practice where a piece of farmland is left uncultivated or without planting crops for a certain period of time so that the soil can naturally recover it's nutrients and fertility.

Farmers allow the land to rest after it has been used for growing crops for some seasons. For instance as at last year, after harvesting our cassava, my parents told me that we shouldn't plant anything again during that early February that we should start planting this year and when I asked her she said so that the soil will be fertile for this year.

When crops are planted continuously on the same land, the plants use up important nutrients in the soil such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If farmers keep planting without allowing the soil to recover, the soil will not yield, so to prevent this, farmers should leave the land fallow for one or more seasons.

During this period, natural processes help restore the soil, rain, decomposing plant materials, microorganisms and something natural like grasses help rebuild nutrients and improve the soil structure. some farmers may also allow animals to graze on the land so their waste products can add organic matter to the soil. Therefore, fallowing helps to restore soil fertility and reduce soil exhaustion etc.

Fallow refers to practice where pieces of land is left uncultivated for a period of time. One major important of fallowing is that it restores soil nutrients. When crops are planted continuously on the same land, they absorb nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from the soil. By leaving the land fallow, natural processes like the decay of plant materials and the activity of microorganism helps replenish these nutrients.

Another importance of fallow is that it improves soil structure and fertility. During the fallow period, grasses and small plants may grow on the land. When these plants decompose, they add organic matter to the soil making it richer and better able to support future crops. It also helps to control pests, disease and weeds.

When the land is not cultivated for some times, many crop scientific pests and diseases lose their host plants and gradually disappear. This reduces the risk of infestation when farming resumes. Also, the fallow period helps conserve moisture in the soil. without constant cultivation, the soil can retain water better, which is beneficial for next planting seasons. Finally fallowing prevent soil exhaustion and land degradation. So, the pictures of a fallow lands are gotten from @bossj23. I therefore invite @bossj23, @dhizy and @peacemike to participate in the contest.