The use of conservation tillage requires the management of crop residues on the soil surface. Use planters and drills that can plant through untilled residues or into a tilled seedbed prepared using approved implements. Do not disturb more than one-third of the row width when planting or fertilizing.

Conservation is the care and protection of these resources so that they can persist for future generations. It includes maintaining diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems, as well as functions of the environment, such as nutrient cycling.

Conservation tillage does not loosen or invert the soil; it leaves vegetation in place to help prevent wind-erosion losses. Crop residues on the soil surface reduce wind velocity and the ability of wind to move soil particles.

However, tillage has all along been contributing negatively to soil quality. Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Splashed particles clog soil pores, effectively sealing off the soil’s surface, resulting in poor water infiltration.

No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain. Other possible benefits include an increase in the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil, soil retention of organic matter, and nutrient cycling.

Tillage is defined as the mechanical manipulation of the soil for the purpose of crop production affecting significantly the soil characteristics such as soil water conservation, soil temperature, infiltration and evapotranspiration processes.

Tillage :: Types of Tillage. Depending upon the purpose or necessity, different types of tillage are carried out. They are deep ploughing, subsoiling and year-round tillage. Deep ploughing turns out large sized clods, which are baked by the hot sun when it is done in summer.

The main field preparation involves three processes, viz., primary tillage, secondary tillage and lay-out for sowing. Some of the important primary tillage implements are country plough, mould board plough, disc plough, chisel plough etc. Cultivators and harrows are generally used for secondary tillage purpose.

Soil Degradation And Fertility Loss Agricultural monoculture upsets the natural balance of soils. Too many of the same plant species in one field area rob the soil of its nutrients, resulting in decreasing varieties of bacteria and microorganisms that are needed to maintain fertility of the soil.

Higher Yields For monoculture, each plant undergoes the same standard cultivation, maintenance and harvesting process. This leads to more production and lower costs. For animals or livestock, they follow the same method of birth and maturity.

Destroys the overall soil’s degradation and erosion The use of chemical fertilizers in monoculture farming also destroys the soil’s health. When the crops are harvested, there remains no natural protection for the soil from erosion by wind or rain.

Disadvantages of Monoculture Farming

• Damage to soil quality.
• Increased use of Fertilizers.
• Susceptibility to Pests.
• Increased use of Pesticides and herbicides.
• Damage to the Environment.
• Loss of Biodiversity.
• Increased Susceptibility to diseases.
• Actually lower yields.

Monoculture is widely used in industrial farming systems, including conventional and organic farming, and has allowed increased efficiency in planting and harvest.

This type of farming goes against any form of traditional crops and growing food. Reusing the exact same soil, instead of rotating three or four different crops following a pre-determined cycle, can lead to plant pathogens and diseases. …

Rotation of crops is one method of avoiding some risk associated with monoculture. A year of corn production is followed by a year of soybeans, then corn, then soybeans, to avoid many disease and insect problems. This method works with many vegetables, annuals, and even some perenniels.

Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system at a time. Dairy is the most advanced and efficient type of rearing of milch animals. There is no off season during the year as in the case of crop raising.

Answer : Option (B) is correct because mixed farming does not follow monoculture. Monoculture is the production of single crop or raising of single livestock. Mixed farming involves the growing of crops as well as the raising of livestock.

Cotton: The cotton is not a plantation crop of India as it has very high local consumption in India as compared to their export value. They are grown in large quantities in the states of where black soil is found. So, it is the correct option.