Rest crops?

Question

hi does anyone know what farmers grow in the fields that are left as a rest crop? because my teacher said that when farmers leave a rest crop they grow something that will release a lot of nitrogen back into the soil so that plants that grown there in the future will have enough nitrogen to survive. the question is what do farmers grow on a rest crop and what did people used to grow on a rest crop in medieval times (before fertilisers) thank you xx i know it isn't exactly a rivetting question. xx

Answer 1

There are a lot of field mixed seed that provide nutrients as well as reach deep in the soil with their root systems to reclaim a lot of lost nutrients. Also, these crops break certain cycles of plants and diseases so when the crop is rotated back in their will be less problems. Frequently nothing is done but to let the land just green over with natural growth. This protects the soil from erosion and, upon turning over later, will break the weed cycle and keep the texture of the soil from being repeatedly pulverized until it is damaged in structure and so fine that wind and water will carry it off.

Answer 2

Before the use of commercial fertilizers came into the ag market following World War II, farmers would grow a variety of crops; corn, oats, alfalfa, red clover among others.  In the midwest, farmers were typically known for having a few cows, a group of sows and horses for the field work.  Livestock was kept on pasture as much as possible to reduce the labor of hauling the manure that would build up over the winter months of keeping the animals inside.  Animals were healthier in the outdoors.  Fields were rotated to allow for the crop diversification and so that the pasture with animals, especially hogs, who root and dig holes, looking generally for grubs and roots and to create mud holes to sleep in could be maintained for cropland.  Land was allowed to go "fallow" to "give it a rest" as it was thought that nature would remedy itself and the ground would return to a "natural state".  As we know today, if we pull nutrients from the ground we must replace them.  More modern farmers (later 1800's, early 1900's) would plant rye or other green plant material and plowdown the "green manure" to help enrich the soil with organic matter and other nutrients from the plant.  The most limiting and challenging nutrient to capture for use in a growing crop was nitrogen.  Farmers put manure on the fields yet much of the nitrogen would leech into the air.  Legumes were planted and would fix their own nitrogen into the soil yet it was never enough for the following year's crop.   For the production of grasses to flourish and grow well we add nitrogen to our yards and fields as well.  Genetically, corn is a type of grass and requires nitrogen, along with phosphorus and potassium to yield well on today's farms.  Nitrogen has been the nutrient that was most lacking in previous times and limited the ability to raise crops with higher yields.

Answer 3

basically any kind of legumous plant

i believe some use peas so they can still make a profit off the crops, but of course growing anything for commercial use means tending it and also drains the soil of other nutrients and so isnt entirely useful

Answer 4

clover is an example of this practice

Answer 5

clover soybeans

Answer 6

Clover is often used because it can be used as pasture, with the manure from the pasturing animals being turned into the soil.

Rest crops can however be winter rye, because the farmer may need to turn in a carbonaceous stover.

Why? because when growing vegetables there is far too little carbon (stalks) available to maintain the tilth of the soil. By contrast Nitrogen fertilizer can be supplied from a truck, at some cost.

One gets an almost perfect result if one grows the clover for nitrogen, inoculated with nitrogen fixing bacteria, and intermixed with rye to provide the carbon. The clover even provide their own nitrogen and that needed by the rye.

Crops like rape often fed to cattle as fall pasture to produce good milking, are also often used as a rest crop after the pasturing cattle are finished pasturing it.