Monoculture in agriculture is the practice of growing a single crop species in a field at one time. This method can enhance efficiency in planting and harvesting with machinery, but it makes crops more susceptible to diseases and pests due to reduced biodiversity and nutrient depletion. Farmers can increase crop diversity through practices like crop rotation or intercropping.
Monocultures also exist outside of agriculture, such as in residential grass lawns. Additionally, single-species forest plantations have become more common in the tropics, impacting local communities due to market globalization.
Genetic monocultures consist of crops with little genetic variation, created through propagation and selective breeding, which increases their vulnerability to disease.
