PCEE

Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education

Question of the Week

The amount of organic matter present in the soil is extremely important to farmers. Organic matter is made up a number of different components, both alive and dead. Plant roots, earthworms, microorganisms and debris from decaying plant matter are all part of healthy soil.

Martin Luther King
Source: FreeFoto

High levels of soil organic matter are beneficial to crops for many reasons. Organic matter improves soil fertility, water availability and air supply to plants; reduces erosion and crusting of soil; and wards off various parasites, pests and diseases that can harm plants.

Which of the following agricultural techniques have a positive impact on soil organic matter levels?

Check all that apply.

Planting only one type of vegetable for many years in a row, a practice known as monocropping

Using animal manures and compost on fields

Tilling the soil after crops have been harvested

Using pesticides and insecticides

Employing the use of cover crops and crop rotation to prevent erosion