What is the purpose of cultivation in pest control?

Cultivation plays a significant role in pest control primarily through the mechanical destruction of weeds. By disrupting the growth of weeds, cultivation reduces competition for resources between desirable plants and undesirable ones. This, in turn, can limit the habitat available for pests that may thrive in weedy environments.

When soil is disturbed through cultivation, weed seeds may be uprooted, buried, or exposed to more unfavorable conditions, hindering their establishment and growth. Furthermore, this method of mechanical intervention can also disrupt the life cycles of certain pest insects that rely on weeds for food or breeding grounds.

While enhancing soil nutrients, improving water retention, and increasing pesticide absorption are important aspects of soil and plant management, they do not directly address the pest control function of cultivation to the same extent as the physical removal or destruction of weed competition.