2. Principles and concepts of cropping systems – Contd.

Transcript

Welcome back. I will be continuing this lecture with the previous topic. Then coming to the types of multiple-cropping systems. Two or more crops are grown. In that we have a multiple-cropping system.

• Let us see inter-cropping. Two or more crops in a given time in a spatial arrangement. So here intercropping means two or more crops are grown in a spatial arrangement. Spatial arrangement means in a definite row proportions. There will be indication of definite row proportions. So two crops will be grown at a different row proportions. So two crops are growing at a time with definite row proportions. This is called as inter-cropping system.
• Then coming to the mixed cropping. Two or more crops are randomly grown at a given time without any distinct arrangement. So here also two or more crops are grown at a time on the same piece of land, but without distinct arrangement. There is no distinct row proportions. Two or more crops are mixed together, and they are grown simultaneously on the same piece of land. Here there is no distinct arrangement of the row proportions, that is mixed cropping.
• Then coming to the sequential cropping. Two or more crops are grown in succession, one after the another. Here also two or more crops are grown on the same piece of land, but in a succession, that is they are not grown in a same piece of land but in a different seasons. One or two or three crops are grown in a succession. That is called sequential cropping.

Let us go for the examples of predominant multiple cropping systems. The best example is.

• Sorghum + pigeon pea in case of red soil areas. That is for inter-cropping. Even we also go for finger millet + pigeon pea in 8X2 rows. That means 8 rows of finger millet and 2 rows of pigeon pea will be grown in a inter-cropping system. That is also one of the examples for the inter-cropping system.
• Then mixed cropping. Here the sorghum+ pigeon pea + sesame. All the three crops. The seeds of all the three crops mixed together and they are growing, and they are being grown. This is called mixed cropping.
• Then coming to the sequential cropping, where 2 or 3 crops are grown in succession on a same piece of land. Take for example sorghum + safflower + maize + chickpea. Sorghum + safflower means that sorghum will be grown during the kharif season on the same piece of land. After the harvest of sorghum in the rabi season, safflower is grown. This is what sequential cropping scs is. So sequential cropping of sorghum followed by safflower. Then maize followed by chickpea. Take for example, maize is grown during the kharif season. In the rabi season chickpea will be grown. This is an excellent all examples for the sequential cropping

So the traditional practices in case of dryland soil, inter-cropping and mixed-cropping are the most common practices followed in the drylands. Out of all the cropping systems, inter-cropping and mixedcropping are mostly followed all the times in case of drylands. Coming to the advantages of multiple cropping over the mono-cropping. So advantages of multiple-cropping is that, it avoids the risk of total crop failure, due to erratic rainfall and food security. As you know the rainfall is erratic. Its distribution is not uniform. It is un-uniform, so in such of the cases, wherever the mono-crops are being grown, if there is a total crop failure, the farmer will suffer heavy yield loss and also economic loss. So if he follows multiple-cropping, that means to say two or more crops grown at a time on the same piece of land. He can avoid the risk of total crop failure due to erratic rainfall.

Then second thing is that optimum utilization of the natural resources. What are the natural resources? Land, water and sunlight. If the mono-crop is being grown, there will not be optimum utilization of land, water and sunlight. Coming to the advantages of multiple cropping. Wherein the first and foremost is that it avoids the risk of total crop failure due to erratic rainfall and ensures the food security. Wherever the mono-crops are being grown; if they are devastated or if the crop is failed, due to the erratic rainfall or the deficient rainfall, the farmer will incur total loss. So in this such of the cases, multiple-cropping is beneficial. What does the multiple-cropping does? The multiple cropping does. It avoids the risk of total crop failure. Suppose one crop is failed, the other crop will come to his rescue. So avoids total crop failure, that is the most important advantage of the multiple-cropping system.

Secondly the optimum utilization of the natural resources. Land, water, sunlight. So these are the natural resources, that a crop should utilize. There will be optimum utilization of all the resources by the crops grown in an multiple-cropping system. But it is not so in case of mono-crop. In case of mono-cropping, only single crop is utilizing all the three factors. But in case of multiple-cropping, two or more crops are grown in a same piece of land, and all the two or three crops simultaneously will utilize the resources, that is land, water and sunlight, and thus there will be the optimum utilization of the light.

Then the third one is increases annual net yield per unit area. This is because when a farmer grows two or more crops, the annual net yield will be higher than the yield got in the mono-crop. So this is the third most advantage, where in the multiple cropping increases the annual net yield of the crops. Then what are the potential cropping systems in relation to rainfall and soil type. There are certain characteristics. We learnt about the characteristics of selecting a crop. But in case of cropping systems, how to select the cropping systems. They are all characteristics on which the selection of cropping system is dependent. What are those characteristics? The rainfall and soil type are the major one. Rainfall is one. Soil type is one. Water availability period is one and based on this factor; rainfall, soil type and the water availability periods, what are the potential cropping systems can be selected. Which are all the potential cropping systems we can select. Take for example.

• If the rainfall is 350-600 mm in that region and the soils are red soils, sandy soils and deep black soils and the water availability period is 20 weeks. In these cases we can go for single kharif crop or single rabi crop only. Because the moisture availability period is only 20 weeks and the rainfall is uniform, that is 350-600 mm of annual rainfall.
• Suppose if the annual rainfall is exceeds that. 600-750 or 750-900 millimeters and wherever the water availability is about 20 to 30 weeks, then we can go for inter-cropping.
• That means to say that not only the annual rainfall decides the cropping system, but it is the available period of the moisture. It also decides the type of cropping system we have to select. If the availability of moisture availability weeks is more, then we can go for inter-cropping or double cropping.

So this is the way how the potential cropping system for a particular region, we have to select. Then coming to the factors influencing the choice of the cropping system. The choice of the cropping system.

• First one is the farm resources. The choice of the cropping system depends on land, labour and water. The amount of rainfall, soil type and water holding capacity influences the cropping system. So farm resources. Based on this factor also we have to select the cropping system, wherein the land, labour, water in which the amount of rainfall, the soil type and the moisture holding capacity of the soil will also decide the type of cropping system, one should adopt.
• Second one is farm enterprises. The choice of cropping system also depends upon the farm enterprises. Take for example, the enterprise at the farm level leads to a cropping system having specific crops. Fodder crops in a dairy and grain crops in a poultry. Supposing a farmer is having a poultry enterprise, then the cropping system should preferably involve a grain crop. Suppose if he has a dairy, then the cropping system should involve fodder crops. This is how the farm enterprises also have to decide.
• Then coming to the farm technology. Then the improved technologies alter the cropping systems also. So in deep black soils with annual rainfall more than 750 mm, dry seedling yields both kharif and rabi crops instead of only one rabi crop in the post rainy season. Most probably in the black soils, the crops will be taken up in the rabi season, because of the soil related constraints. But a dry seedling mechanism works out wherever the black soils are there. Then we can go for both kharif as well as rabi crops. In this way wherever the farm technology, particular farm technology exists, it also decides the type of the cropping system, one should adopt.

Then coming to the conclusions.

• Besides putting various measures to increase the productivity of dryland crops, efforts would also be needed to increase the cropping intensity, which was generally 100%, implying that a single crop was taken during the year. So in drylands we are putting so many technological interventions to increase the cropping intensity. All of the other factors for retaining moisture or fertility levels. In spite of that we have to look for also for increasing the cropping intensity. Wherever the monocrops are grown the cropping intensity will be only 100%. So in such cases the farm yield will not be optimum. So in such cases we have to put the measures, so as to increase the cropping intensity.
• Second one is, the cropping intensity of these areas would be increased by the practice of intercropping and multi-cropping, by way of more efficient utilization of the resources. In these areas if at all the cropping intensity has to be increased, the inter-cropping and the multiple-cropping systems of the best candidates for increasing the cropping intensity in thee areas.

Okay Thank You