Polyculture

Polyculture

Polyculture is agriculture using multiple crops in the same space, in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems, and avoiding large stands of single crops, or monoculture. It includes crop rotation, multi-cropping, intercropping, companion planting, beneficial weeds, and alley cropping.

Polyculture, though it often requires more labor, has several advantages over monoculture:

* The diversity of crops avoids the susceptibility of monocultures to disease. For example, a [http://www.mindfully.org/GE/Rice-Diversity-Yield.htm study] in China reported in Nature showed that planting several varieties of rice in the same field increased yields by 89%, largely because of a dramatic (94%) decrease in the incidence of disease, which made pesticides redundant.

* The greater variety of crops provides habitat for more species, increasing local biodiversity. This is one example of Reconciliation Ecology, or accommodating biodiversity within human landscapes.

Polyculture is one of the principles of permaculture.

ee also

* Agroecology
* Aquaponics
* Beneficial weeds
* Companion planting
* Forest gardening
* Heirloom plant
* Home gardens
* Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture
* Nurse crop
* gardens

External links

* [http://www.satavic.org/cropping_systems.htm Crop rotation and polyculture]
* [http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln48/hanzi.html Polycultures in the Brazilian drylands]
* [http://www.new-agri.co.uk/01-1/perspect.html Polyculture and disease prevention]


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  • polyculture — [ pɔlikyltyr ] n. f. • 1908; de poly et culture ♦ Culture simultanée de différents produits sur un même domaine, dans une même région. ⊗ CONTR. Monoculture. ● polyculture nom féminin Culture de plusieurs espèces végétales dans une même… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Polyculture — dans le pays de Caux : lin au premier plan, prairie à gauche, blé à droite En agriculture, la polyculture est le fait de cultiver plusieurs espèces de plantes dans une même exploitation agricole, ou plus largement dans une région naturelle.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • polyculture — the practice of raising several species of fish together in aquaculture, or of fish with other species like shrimps, in either case the species are not competitors or predators …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • polyculture — /pol ee kul cheuhr/, n. 1. the raising at the same time and place of more than one species of plant or animal. 2. a place where this is done. [1910 15; POLY + CULTURE] * * * …   Universalium

  • polyculture — noun The planting of two or more crops in the same place …   Wiktionary

  • polyculture — noun the simultaneous cultivation or exploitation of several crops or kinds of animals …   English new terms dictionary

  • polyculture — poly·culture …   English syllables

  • polyculture — /ˈpɒlikʌltʃə/ (say poleekulchuh) noun Agriculture the cultivation of more than one form of produce in the same location at the same time, as with intercropping, farming various different fish in the same pond, etc …  

  • polyculture — ¦pälē, lə̇ˌ noun Etymology: poly + culture (I) : the usually simultaneous cultivation or growth of two or more compatible plants or organisms and especially crops or fish in a single area ; also : a product of such cultivation or growth …   Useful english dictionary

  • MONOCULTURE ET POLYCULTURE — Les termes de monoculture et de polyculture sont couramment utilisés pour distinguer deux types de systèmes agricoles. La monoculture désigne un système agricole fondé sur une seule production ou, le plus souvent, sur un petit nombre de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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