Cropping System Concepts (Agronomy) for Agri Exams

Cropping System Concepts 

• Multiple Cropping: “The growing of more than one crop on the same land in one year”.

• Types of multiple cropping:

(a) Intercropping

(b) Mixed cropping

(c) Sequential/non-overlapped cropping

(d) Relay/overlapped cropping

• Intercropping :

• Growing of two or more crops simultaneously in alternate rows or otherwise in the same area, where there is significant amount of inter crop competition

• Advantages of Inter Cropping:

1. Greater stability of yield over different seasons,

2. Better use of growth resources

• Disadvantages of Intercropping:

1. Yield decrease because of adverse competition effect

2. Allopathic effect

3. Creates obstruction in the free use of machines

• Mixed cropping:

• Cultivation of two or more than two crops simultaneously, on the same piece of land without any definite row pattern or fixed ratio.

• Scientific study of mixed cropping was firstly done by La-Flitze in 1929.

• Mixed cropping is commonly practiced in Dry land areas of India.

• Sequential/non-overlapped cropping:

• Growing of two or more crops in quick succession on the same piece of land in a farming year. e.g. Just after the harvest of Maize Potato is sown and just after digging of potato. Chili is sown.

• Relay/overlapped cropping:

• Relay planting is interring planting or inter sowing of seeds/seedlings of the succeeding crop before harvesting the preceding/maturing crop.

• Generally 2nd crop is planted after the first crop has reach its reproductive stage of growth 

• Example: Potato is planted before the harvest of Maize and Radish is sown before harvesting of Potato.

• Paira (Bihar & WB) and Utera (MP) cropping are also referred as an example of relay cropping. 

• Paira/Utera cropping means sowing of Lathyrus or Lentil before the harvest of rice in lowland area with an objective to use the residual moisture of rice field.

• Multi-storeyed/Multitired/Multilevel Cropping:

• Two or more than two crops of different heights cultivated simultaneously on the same field. It is generally practiced in Karnataka and Kerala e.g. Sugarcane + Mustard + Onion/Potato.

• Parallel Cropping:

• Such crops have different growth habits and zero competition to each other. e.g. Urd/Moong + Maize

• Companion Cropping:

• When the production of both inters crops is equal to that of its solid planting. e.g. Mustard/Potato/Onion + Sugarcane

• Synergetic Cropping:

• In this type of cropping, yield of both the crops are higher than their pure crops on unit area e.g. Sugarcane + Potato

(Source : Principles of Agronomy by Reddy and Reddy)