The growing of one type of crop on the same land over a period of years with hardly any crop rotation. Such systems are widespread in the developed world because they respond well to fertilizers and to weed control using selective herbicides, and because mechanical field operations such as harvesting are greatly simplified. However, it has been shown that monocultural cultivation is more susceptible to pests and diseases, and therefore requires relatively high inputs of fungicide and insecticide to protect it. Its widespread adoption, while increasing yield, has reduced the range of species and crops used for food production. Its dependence on the use of mechanized processes and large field size has led to a decrease in the biodiversity of plants and animals. The term may also refer to single-species tree plantations.
Monoculture describes systems that have very low diversity.
Land Use
Agriculture
In agriculture, "monoculture" describes the practice of relying on a very small number of genetic variants, or cultivars of a food crop for commercial agriculture. In the Biodiversity Action Plans of many countries, monoculture agricultural practices are defined as a major threat to species viability, especially when natural habitat is being converted to a new agricultural use. Human overpopulation is the root cause driving much of the monoculture crops which often can maximize quantity per acre of harvest.
Forestry
In forestry, monoculture refers to the planting of a single species of tree crop instead of encouraging a diverse canopy of trees.
Catastrophic crop failure
Monoculture can lead to large scale crop failure as this single genetic variant or cultivar becomes susceptible to a disease.
Lawns and animals
Examples of monocultures include lawns and most field crops, such as wheat or corn.
Polyculture
The environmental movement seeks to change popular culture by redefining the "perfect lawn" to be something other than a turf monoculture, and seeks agricultural policy that provides greater encouragement for more diverse cropping systems.
Sociology
In sociology, a monoculture is any sort of system wherein everyone is wearing, doing, seeing, reading, watching, and thinking the same thing. Some argue that the modern ideas of political correctness and enforced multiculturalism will inevitably spawn a global monoculture, pointing as evidence to the fact that in every historical society where two or more cultures have been put together and made to integrate, they invariably form a monoculture.
Computer science
In computer science, a monoculture is any computer system which is nearly universally used. In particular, Dan Geer has argued that Microsoft is a monoculture, since a striking majority of the overall number of computers connected to the Internet are workstations and servers running versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, many of which are vulnerable to same attacks.
User Comments Add a comment…