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Polyculture




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 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 .


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