Certified Crop Advisor Practice Exam

Which of the following accelerates canopy closure?

1. wider rows

2. narrow rows

3. high planting density

4. crop rotation

The correct answer is: narrow rows

Narrow rows accelerate canopy closure because they increase the density of plants per unit area. With plants placed closer together, their leaves and branches grow in a way that allows them to capture sunlight more efficiently and use available resources, such as water and nutrients, more effectively. This results in quicker shading of the soil and reduced competition from weeds, ultimately leading to a faster closure of the canopy. Additionally, the reduced distance between plants allows for faster lateral growth, which contributes to filling in the gaps more rapidly. Wider rows typically result in slower canopy closure since there is more spacing between individual plants, which means they take longer to grow together and cover the soil surface. High planting density, while it may seem that it could contribute to quicker canopy closure, is more aligned with narrow rows; here, the focus is specifically on row width rather than planting density alone. Crop rotation does not directly influence canopy closure, as it relates more to the alternating planting of different crops over seasons rather than the arrangement of a single crop in rows.