24.3 CROPPING

♤ Cropping intensity: Number of crops cultivated in a piece of land per annum is cropping intensity. In Punjab and Tamil Nadu the cropping intensity is more than 100 per cent i.e. around 140-150%. In Rajasthan the cropping intensity is less.

Cropping pattern

♤ The yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops and fallow on a given area is called cropping pattern

Cropping system

♤ The cropping pattern used on a farm and its interactions with farm resources, other farm enterprises, and available technology which determine their makeup.

♤ Multiple cropping: Growing more than two crops in a piece of land in a year in orderly succession. It is also called as intensive cropping. It is used to intensify the production. It is possible only when assured resources are available (land, labour, capital and water)

♤ Double cropping: Growing two crops a year in sequence. Example: Rice - Pulse

♤ Triple cropping: Growing three crops a year in sequence. Example: Rice - Rice - Pulse

♤ Quadruple cropping: Growing four crops in a year in sequence

♤ Monoculture: Repetitive growing of the same sole crop in the same land.

♤ Mono cropping: Continuous production of one and the same crop year after year or season after season is called mono cropping.

♤ Sole cropping: One crop variety grown alone in a pure stand at normal density.

Sequential cropping

♤ Growing of two or more crops in sequence on the same field in a year. The succeeding crop is planted after the preceeding crop has been harvested

♤ The crop intensification is done in time dimension

♤ Ex: Rice-rice-cotton

♤ Relay cropping Growing the succeeding crop when previous crop attend its maturity stage-or-sowing of the next crop immediately before the harvest of the standing crops.

E.g. 1) Paddy-Lucerne.

2) Rice-Cauliflower-Onion-summer gourds.

Ratoon cropping

♤ Raising a crop with regrowth coming out of roots or stocks of the harvested crop

♤ Ex: Sugarcane (8 ratoons in Cuba)

♤ Banana - one plant crop followed by two ratoon crops normally

♤ Sorghum and Lucerne fodder- many ratoons Ist cutting 70 DAS and thereafter every 35-40 days.

♤ Pineapple crop is extensively ratooned.

Intercropping

♤ Growing two or more crops simultaneously with distinct row arrangement on the same field at the same time.

♤ Base crop: primary crop which is planted/ sown at its optimum sole crop population in an intercropping situation.

♤ Intercrop: This is a second crop planted in between rows of base crop with a view to obtain extra yields with intercrop without compromise in the main crop yields

Do you know?

Hi-tech patrolling is set to be introduced in the Simili-pal tiger Reserve (STR) ahead of Maha Vishuva Sank-

ranti, a religious function when tribals indulge in a ritual of mass killing of wild animals in the forests here.

Advantages of Intercropping

♤ Better use of growth resources including light, nutrients and water

♤ Suppression of weeds

♤ Yield & stability - even if one crop fails due to unforeseen situations, another crop will yield and provides some secured income

♤ Successful intercropping gives higher equivalent yields (yield of base crop + yield of intercrop), higher cropping intensity

♤ Reduced pest and disease incidences

♤ Improvement of soil health and agro-eco system

Examples of Inter cropping Types of intercropping

♤ Strip intercropping

♤ Parellel cropping

♤ Synergistic cropping

♤ Additive Series (Paired row intercropping)

♤ Replacement Series

♤ Multi storey cropping

♤ Relay intercropping

♤ Alley cropping

Strip intercropping

♤ Growing of two or more crops simultaneously in strips wide enough to permit independent cultivation but narrow enough for the crops to interact each other.

♤ Ex:6 rows of groundnut and 4 rows of redgram in strips

Parellel cropping

♤ Growing of two crops simultaneously which have different growth habits and no competion among themselves

♤ Ex: Blackgram with maize

♤ Soybean with cotton

Synergestic Cropping

♤ Yields of both crops are higher than of their pure crops on unit area basis

♤ Ex: Sugarcane + Potato

Multi storey cropping

♤ Cultivation of more than two crops of different heights simultaneously on a piece of land in any certain period

♤ Ex: Coconut + Pepper + cocoa + pineapple

Relay intercropping

♤ In a long duration base crop, growing two sets of intercrops one after another is called relay intercropping

♤ Ex; Redgram - base crop 180 days

♤ Groundnut/onion/coriander-I set of intercrops

♤ Samai/ thenai/panivaragu- 2nd set of intercrops

Alley cropping

♤ Alley cropping is a system in which food crops are grown in alleys formed by hedge rows of trees or shrubs. The essential feature of the system is that hedge rows are cut back at planting and kept pruned during cropping to prevent shading and to reduce competition with food crops.

♤ Ex: Subabul raised at 6 m row spacing

♤ The space between two rows called alleys

♤ The intercrops are raised in the alley space

♤ E.g. cotton, sorghum, blackgram

Mixed cropping

♤ Growing of two or more crops simultaneously intermingled without row arrangement is known as mixed cropping

♤ It is a common practice in most of dryland tracts in India

♤ Seeds of different crops are mixed in certain proportion and are sown

♤ The objective is to meet the family requirement of cereals, pulses and vegetables, it is a subsistence farming

♤ Ex: Sorghum, Bajra and cowpea are mixed and broadcasted in rainfed conditions (with low rainfall

situations) to avoid complete crop failures and with ascertaining the minimum yields

Difference between inter cropping and mixed cropping

Do you know?

The Union Ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation has entrusted a pilot project to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to work towards the restoration of select aquatic species that thrive in the Ganga. The three year project will cost Rs. 25 crore and a Ganga Aqualife Conservation Monitoring Centre will also be set up at the WII as part of it.