Monoculture

In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time.^[1] Monocultures increase ease and efficiency in planting, managing, and harvesting crops short-term, often with the help of machinery. However, monocultures are more susceptible to diseases or pest outbreaks long-term^[2][3] due to localized reductions in biodiversity and nutrient depletion.^[4][5] Crop diversity can be added both in time, as with a crop rotation or sequence, or in space, with a polyculture or intercropping.^[6]

Monocultures appear in contexts outside of agriculture and food production. Grass lawns are a common form of residential monocultures.^[7] Several monocultures, including single-species forest plantations, have become increasingly abundant throughout the tropics following market globalization, impacting local communities.^[5][8][9]

Genetic monocultures refer to crops that have little to no genetic variation. This is achieved using cultivars, made through processes of propagation^[10] and selective breeding,^[11] and can make populations susceptible to disease.

Agroecological practices,^[12] silvo-pastoral systems,^[13] and mixed-species plantations^[14] are common alternatives to monoculture that help preserve biodiversity while maintaining productivity.