CROPPING PATTERNS

The yearly sequence and

spatial arrangement of
crops and fallow on a given
area.
Cropping patterns
1.Cotton-wheat, Mung-wheat, Sugarcane-
wheat, Kharif fodder/maize-Sugarcane

2.Wheat, Cotton – Wheat, Kharif fodder/maize

– Wheat, Rice – Wheat, Wheat - Fallow –
Wheat & Guvara - Wheat
3.Rice - wheat (Major), Potato – Wheat,
Sugarcane – wheat, Kharif
Fodder/Maize – Wheat, Mash –
Wheat, Sunflower - Kharif fodder - Wheat .
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.
Introduction OF
Cropping Patterns
Agronomic cropping patters or
modules begin to
explore the complexity inherent in
modern farming. In many countries,
farmers are dealing decisions about
crop and animal husbandry,
purchasing and stock management,
labor coordination, financing, grain
trading, environmental/climate variability &
uncertainty, etc.
Choice of Cropping
Pattern depend upon
1.Timing of Rainfall
2. Costs of Production
3. Commodity Prices
4. Anticipated Gross Margins
5. Disease, Insect and Weed
Management
6. Crop Rotation Considerations
7. Sustainability Objectives
Local Considerations for
Cropping Patterns

1.Which crops are well-suited to the soil and

climatic factors prevailing in the region,
2.What crops are practicable with the
present pest and disease control methods,
3.What influence does each crop have on the
other and is the combination of crops
profitable for the farmer,
Cont…
Local Considerations for
Cropping Patterns
4.How can land, climatic and input
resources be put to the best use in
the short and long term,
5.How do operational factors affect
the size and method of cropping, and
6.The management skills of the
farmer, his health and age.
Mixed farming

Cropping pattern which involve

the raising of crops, animals
and or trees.
Mixed farming
Ratooning

One of the important methods of

intensive cropping, allowing the
stubbles of the original crop to
strike again after harvesting
and to raise another crop.
Live mulch system

Live mulch crop production

involves planting a food crop
directly into a living cover of an
established cover crop without
tillage or the destruction of the
fallow vegetation.
Mixed cropping

Growing of two or more crops

simultaneously and
intermingled without row
arrangements, where there is
significant amount of intercrop
competition.
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
Intercropping
a) greater stability of yield over
different seasons,

b) better use of growth resources,

c) better control of weeds, pests and

diseases,

Cont…
Advantages of
Intercropping
d) one crop provides physical support
to the other crop,

e) one crop provides shelter to the

other crop,

f) erosion control through providing

continuous leaf cover over the ground
surface, and g) it is the small farmers of
limited means who is most likely to
benefit.
Disadvantages of
Intercropping
a) yield decrease because of adverse
competition effect,
b) allelopathic effect,

c) creates obstruction in the free use

of machines for intercultural
operations and
d) large farmers with adequate
resources may likely to get less
benefit out of intercropping.
Relay planting

It is inter planting or inter sowing

of seeds/seedlings of the
following crop in the
preceding/maturing crop.
Relay planting
Intensive cropping

the process of growing a number

of crops on the same piece of
land during the given period of
tme.
The aim is to increase the income
per unit area within a specified
period of time.
Types of Intensive
Cropping

i. Multiple cropping
ii. Inter cropping
Multiple cropping

It is defined as the growing of

more than one crop on the
same land in one year.
For example
Rice-Potato-Sunflower followed
by Rice-Wheat- Moong.
Inter cropping

This is a process of growing

subsidiary crops between two
widely spaced rows of main
crop.
Examples are Sugarcane-
Soybean, Moong or Urd -Maize,
and Urd , Moong or Cotton-
Pigeonpea.
Inter cropping
Inter cropping
Sole cropping
Other Terms Related to
Multiple Cropping
Sole cropping-
One crop variety grown alone in
pure stands at normal density.
Also known as solid planting.
Monoculture-
The repetitive growing of the same
sole crop on the same land.
Double cropping-
Refers to the practice of growing two crops in a year
Crop rotation-
The repetitive cultivation of an ordered
succession of crops or crops and
fallow on the same land.
Principles of Crop
Rotation
• Crops with tap roots should be followed by
crops with a fibrous root system as this
helps in the proper and uniform use of
nutrients from the soil. In addition, roots
do not compete with each other for the
uptake of nutrients,
• Legumes should be grown after non
legumes as they fix atmospheric nitrogen
into the soil and add more organic matter
to the soil,
Principles of Crop
Rotation
• Exhaustive crops (crops which need more inputs
like more fertilizer, irrigation, insecticide etc.),
should be followed by less exhaustive crops, which
require less care (i.e., Potato or Maize should be
followed by leguminous crops),
• Selection of crop should be demand-based (that
is, crops needed by the market should be chosen as
it can be sold at a higher price), and
• Crop selection also depends on land type,
irrigation facilities, soil and climatic
considerations. Financial constraints of the farmer
should also be kept in mind
Depending on the country
other considerations
• The use of different herbicides to control a
range of weeds throughout the crop
rotation
• Minimization of disease and pest build up
• Diversification of risk
• Spread of in-season farming operations,
and
• Other benefits (e.g. soil fumigation from
canola or mustard)
Advantage of Crop
Rotation
• Agricultural operations can be done on time, for all
the crops because of less competition,
• Soil fertility is restored by fixing atmospheric
nitrogen, encouraging microbial activity.
• Weeds, disease and insects can often be more
easily managed
• Proper utilization of all resources and inputs is
made as the farmer, his labour, power, equipment
and machines are well employed throughout the
year, As a result of crop demand, the farmer gets
a better price for his produce, and
• Growing crops of different nature ensures best
utilization of residual moisture, fertility and organic
residues. It also improves percolation, soil
structure and reduces chances of creation of hard
pan in sub-soil zone.
Sources and Links
• Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia. Available online at:
• http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-
2BAF4D73531CD1544A2568B3000505AF-
57D1EB72F146450ECA256BC80004E8DD-
966D71ECF369B7C44A256DEA0027B670-
CEF81C761FD5A8F8CA256BCF000BBE82?open
• The University of Minnesota Extension Service. Available online at:
•
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/components/7399
_02.html
Sources and Links
• Australian Natural Resources Atlas: Land. Available
online at:
•
http://audit.ea.gov.au/ANRA/land/land_frame.cfm?region_t
ype=AUS&region_code=AUS&info=soil_overview
• New South Wales Department of Agriculture. Available
online at:
• http://www.agric.nsw.gov.au/reader/vsp-soiltesting/vsp-
d4.pdf?MIvalObj=6704&doctype=document&MItypeObj=a
pplication/pdf&name=/vsp-d4.pdf
•
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBo
okPLANTANATII.html
• Wikipedia. Available online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.pakissan.com/english/allabout/crop/wheat/
wheat.production.tech.punjab.shtml