In some plants, stems and leaves appear scorching and shrinking, and some even die. Some pest structures also change. It is what the performance of continuous cropping obstacle in different crops.
The Harm of Continuous Cropping
1. Nutrients deficiency in soil
Field crops have a long reproductive cycle. The vegetable has a short growing period and a high multiple cropping index. However, whether the same plant or vegetable is grown on the same land for a long or short period, it will absorb more elements, and the component of the soil will be in short supply. Some will also lead to changes in the pH of the soil, and the availability of certain elements in the soil will also decrease.
As a result, some cotton will have a potassium deficiency, some cabbage will have calcium deficiency, and some will suffer from Zinc Magnesium deficiency.
2. Plant diseases and insect pests
The common diseases in continuous cropping fields are infectious diseases and viruses; the pests are mainly nematodes. Most of the viruses are overwintering on the weeds in the fields and often become sources of infection.
The vegetables that are endangered include cabbage, cucumber, tomato, pepper, and radish. Infectious diseases include blight, bacterial wilt, soft rot, and sclerotia. They can live in the soil for many years and occur when conditions are suitable. Such as cotton is easy to wilt if continuous rain in budding, flowering period, rape is susceptible to sclerotinia.
3. Reduce organic matter
In the field of continuous cropping, some microorganisms are relatively active, and the decomposition of soil organic matter is fast, and the utilization rate is high. Therefore, soil porosity decreases, soil buffer capacity decreases, nutrient loss increases, and the ratio of nutrients also becomes imbalanced. As a result, soil physicochemical properties and the biological character deteriorated.
To mitigate the negative impact of continuous cropping, comprehensive adjustments and governance should be implemented in preventive measures.
How to Deal with the Harm of Continuous Cropping
1. Carry out "Crop Rotation"
For field crops or vegetables that have caused severe damage to virus sources and infectious diseases, two to three years of crop rotation should be implemented. It is best to use paddy crop rotations to prevent diseases better.
2. Apply organic fertilizers
Each hectare should be applied with 60-75 MT decomposing home-fertilizer, or 37.5-45MT of bio-organic fertilizer, or 1200-2250 kg of bio-organic compound fertilizer, which can improve soil organic matter content and inhibit the activities of some harmful microorganisms.
At the same time, according to the needs of different crops, applying a certain amount of potash fertilizer in organic fertilizer can alleviate or reduce the damage to wilt disease.
3. Use microbial technology
Microbial agents (such as Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus subtilis) can be used to water roots or spray, which can improve soil condition, control soil-borne pathogens, promote the growth of crop roots, increase traditional fertilizer efficiency, enhance crops stress resistance, and better prevent diseases caused by continuous cropping, thus increase yield and improve quality.