Final answer:
Legumes such as soybeans, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, and beans are essential for fixing atmospheric nitrogen and improving soil fertility, unlike orchard grass which is a Poaceae family member and lacks nitrogen-fixing abilities. Legumes are a source of protein and play a role in sustainable agriculture through practices like crop rotation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Legumes are crucial in agriculture and ecology due to their unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Legume plants, like soybeans, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, and beans, form symbiotic relationships with soil bacteria, allowing them to convert nitrogen gas from the air into a form that plants can use. This characteristic not only provides a key source of protein for human and animal diets but also enhances soil fertility, making legumes an integral part of sustainable agriculture.
Orchard grass, however, is not a legume. It's part of the grass family, technically referred to as the Poaceae family, which includes other important crops like wheat and rice. Grasses, including orchard grass, do not possess the ability to fix nitrogen, unlike legumes.
One practical application of the beneficial traits of legumes in agriculture is crop rotation. For example, farmers alternate between planting soybeans (a legume) and corn (a cereal crop) in the same field across different seasons. Soybeans enrich the soil with nitrogen, benefiting the subsequent corn crop that requires nitrogen-rich soil for better growth.