What term describes the use of different plants in a sequence to disrupt pest life cycles?

The term that describes the use of different plants in a sequence to disrupt pest life cycles is crop rotation. This practice involves planting different types of crops in the same area across different seasons or years. By rotating crops, farmers can break the lifecycle of pests that thrive on specific plants, as the pests may not find their preferred host when it is not planted in a given field. This method is effective in managing soil fertility, controlling pests and diseases, and improving crop yields.

In contrast, companion planting involves growing different plants in close proximity to benefit each other, often for purposes like pest control or pollination, but it does not specifically focus on disrupting pest life cycles over time as crop rotation does. Intercropping refers to planting two or more crops in proximity to maximize the use of resources and enhance productivity but lacks the sequential aspect that is central to crop rotation. Pest trapping, while an effective pest management strategy, focuses on capturing pests rather than altering the crop sequence to disrupt their life cycles. Thus, crop rotation is the most appropriate term for the described practice.