AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The ash provides some fertilization, and the plot is relatively free of weeds. After several years of cultivation, fertility declines and weeds increase. Then, as traditionally practiced by indigenous peoples and subsistence farmers, the area would be left fallow and reverted to a secondary forest of bush.

Detailed explanation-2: -It is burned here because the burning process releases nutrients which then fertilize the soil. So, the slash and burn process successfully clears land for agriculture and introduces fertilizing nutrients into the soil, leaving it in excellent condition to grow crops.

Detailed explanation-3: -This way of agricultural practice is called as slash and burn agriculture. Advantages: By this method the farmers can increase the soil’s fertility as the ash of burned vegetation is rich in nutrient.

Detailed explanation-4: -Slash and burn is a 12, 000 year-old farming technique where forests or fields are chopped down, allowed to dry, and then burned to pave the way for agriculture. The ash and debris leave a nutrient-rich layer of soil that makes it easier to grow crops during the next rainy season.

Detailed explanation-5: -In slash and burn agriculture, the farmers cut down the trees of the forest and burn the plant remains and the land is used for farming. After cultivation, the area is left alone for several years so as to allow its recovery. The farmers then move on to other areas and repeat this process.