Mono-cropping

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Mono-cropping is the agricultural practice of growing the same crop year after year on the same land, without crop rotation through other crops. While economically a very efficient system, allowing for specialisation in equipment and crop production, mono-cropping is also controversial, as it often leads to depletion of the nutrients of the soil and problems with weeds and pesticides. These in turn lead to the mono-cropping system being dependent on pesticides and artificial fertilisers. Mono-cropping is most frequently practiced in industrialised countries' agricultural systems; maize (corn), soybeans and wheat are three common crops often grown using mono-cropping techniques.