Strip cropping

Definition

An agricultural land-management practice in which a field is divided into long, parallel strips of alternating crop types, typically alternating close-sown cover crops (such as hay, wheat, or forages) with row crops (such as corn, soybeans, or cotton). The arrangement reduces soil erosion on slopes, improves water infiltration, and creates heterogeneous habitat mosaics that influence arthropod community composition, pest movement, and natural enemy populations.

Etymology

From English 'strip' (a long narrow band) + 'cropping' (cultivation of crops).

Example

In Iowa corn-soybean systems, alternating 15-meter strips of prairie grasses with row crops increased predatory ground beetle (Carabidae) abundance and reduced European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) damage compared to monoculture fields.

Synonyms

• strip farming

Related Terms

• cover crop
• crop rotation
• Agroecology
• habitat fragmentation
• field margin
• Conservation biological control

Usage Notes

Distinguished from contour farming (which follows elevation contours) and intercropping (which mixes crops within the same area). Strip width strongly mediates effects on mobile arthropods: narrow strips (<10 m) may function as movement barriers for some pests, while wider strips (>30 m) can support distinct invertebrate communities. The term is primarily used in agronomy and conservation biology; entomologists often discuss the practice in contexts of pest suppression and beneficial insect conservation.