ABSTRACT
Crop rotations and biological diversity long have been cornerstones of successful, traditional agricultural production systems. Pest management can be enhanced by rotations of different crop species, one important component of “integrated pest management.” Successful pest management, especially of insects and weeds, can be enhanced by a process termed the “biological structuring” of systems. Conventional wisdom among farmers is that crop rotations reduce the incidence of insects, plant pathogens, nematodes, and weeds. The greater the differences between crops in a rotation sequence, the better cultural control of pests can be expected. Strategies using rotations have been used for incorporating diversity into cropping systems, for providing crop nutrients, and for managing pests in the field. The actual mechanisms that function in the plant and animal interactions on a farm could be called the biological structuring of a system.
