Question

A farmer has been growing only corn in his fields for several years. Each year the corn stalks were cut off near the ground and processed to be used as food for cattle. The farmer observed that with each passing year, corn production in his fields decreased. Explain why removing the dead corn stalks reduced corn production in these fields.

Answer 1

Answer: Bad farming practice

Explanation: when you don't practice bush following or even crop rotation ( planting shallow rooted crops like maize and deep rooted crops like yam at seasonal intervals and no application of either organic or inorganic fertilizers in the farmland, the crop yields will reduced.

The farmer's contineous action of removing dead corn stalk to feed his livestock reduces the farm yields, his action deprives the farm land from natural nutrient replenishment i.e getting nutrients from decomposed stalks (dead plants and matters).

If he had leave the stalks behind, it would have decomposed and replenish the land with nutrients for the next cultivation season.