Corn and soybeans (science)?

Question

Why do farmers alternate from corn to alfalfa or from corn to soybeans. I know it has something to do with nitrogen, but I need the general idea. Ty for your answers!

Answer 1

yes it does deal with nitrogen but it goes thru a process since those plants can have nitrogen in them and corn isnt the best plant for nitrogen it alters to the others

Answer 2

Question 1 ) Why do farmers alternate from corn to alfalfa ?

Answer 1 ) Corn requires good amount of nitrogen , in the form of nitrates from the soil for its optimum / ideal growth .

It can take it ONLY from the soil.

That is the reason why inoragnic / chemical nitrogen fertilizers are used by the farmers.

Another way of improving usable nitrogen in the soil is to grow Alflfa as an altrnate crop.

Why ?

Like other legumes, its root nodules(i.e. swellings on the roots ) contain bacteria, Sinorhizobium meliloti, with the ability to fix nitrogen ((( THAT IS CONVERTING ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN GAS IN TO USABLE NITRATES ))), producing a high-protein feed regardless of available nitrogen in the soil. Its nitrogen-fixing abilities (which increases AVAILABLE soil nitrogen)greatly improves agricultural efficiency.

When the crop of alfalfa is harvested the roots are allowed to remain in the soil and decompose . This action releases the nitrates locked in the roots and thus are available to the next crop . This practice is called CROP ROTATION  and it is in vogue for the last many centuries all over the world .

Nitrogen is an essential element for formation of protens an plant as well as animals including Man.

Question 2 ) Why do farmers alternate from corn to from corn to soybeans ?

Answer 2 ) Corn requires good amount of nitrogen , in the form of nitrates from the soil for its optimum / ideal growth .

It can take it ONLY from the soil.

Soybean (((( Glycine is a genus in the bean family Fabaceae. The most well known species is the soybean Glycine max ))))

Like alfalfa this plant has also nitrogen fixing ability and thus it is also used for CROP ROTATION .

From = A Botanist