Analysis of 36,000 yield observations from 22 long-term cropping experiments shows that greater rotational diversity reduces productivity risks posed by adverse weather.
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Why it matters: Farmers can better weather environmental risks with greater crop rotational diversity.
This is the conclusion of the Diverse Rotations Improve Valuable Ecosystem Services (D.R.I.V.E.S.) Project, an initiative conducted by 30 scientists from across Canada, the United States and Mexico, in which different crop rotations and individual component crops within rotations were analyzed along with multiple metrics, soil types and cropping systems.
A public database of crop rotational information has since been created, designed to inform farmers, policy makers and others about cropping systems, policies or programs that can reduce risk.
Across most sites, findings show maize and soybean output increased as the number of species and rotation length increased, while results …