Most of the Blackland Prairie ecoregion of Texas has been converted to farmland and ranches. Between crop harvests, some farmers grow a type of plant called a cover crop, while other farmers leave the fields bare. How do these practices affect the soil of the Blackland Prairie?

A. Planting a cover crop or leaving the ground bare are both practices that will completely prevent soil erosion.

B. Equal amounts of erosion by wind and runoff will occur on farms, regardless of whether cover crops are planted.

C. More erosion by wind and runoff will occur on farms with cover crops than on farms without cover crops.

D. Less erosion by wind and runoff will occur on farms with cover crops than on farms without cover crops.

D. Less erosion by wind and runoff will occur on farms with cover crops than on farms without cover crops.

Explanation:

A cover crop is a crop planted to protect the soil from erosion, diseases, etc rather than to produce crop yield.

This type of crop has prevention of soil erosion on the farmland among one of its many functions. Other functions include increasing soil quality, suppress weeds, etc.

Cover crops prevent erosion by reducing the amount of water that is drained off a land because of its deep roots which enables water to be sieved from the ground. Their residue is left on the land to prevent excess water runoff, thereby protecting the land from erosion during heavy rainfall.

Some examples of cover crops are legumes and grasses.

Therefore, farmers in Blackland Prairie that leave their farms bare are more at risk of erosion than farmers that plant cover crops.