Friday, May 21, 2021

Defining Cropping Systems in India


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Cropping systems, an essential component of a farming method, describe a cropping pattern used on a farm and their relationship with farm tools, other farm enterprises, and available technology, all of which influence their composition.


In other words, the cropping system is the manner in which different crops are grown. It is defined as the order in which crops are cultivated on a piece of land over a set period of time. In certain cropping systems, multiple crops are grown in the same field at the same time, or they are grown separately at short intervals.

Analysis of Cropping System


According to ISRO, A cropping system is characterized as a cropping pattern and its management to obtain benefits from a given resource base under a given environmental condition. Plant development, which is affected by management and the climate, is the productive base of cropping systems. All of the components associated with crop production are included in this category of management.


These include crop area, crop biomass, economic yield, crop rotation, crop calendar, time, and spread of sowing and harvest. Soil, physiography, and atmosphere are all invariant resources in the environment. Although to maximize returns per unit area per unit time, further research is needed. Crop rotation is a lesson learned from the green revolution for diversifying agriculture and stabilizing crop productivity levels.


Cropping Pattern in India


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Since it varies over time and space, the cropping pattern is a complex concept. Also, it can be specified as the percentage of land covered by various crops at any given time. In other words, it is a yearly pattern of sowing and fallow on a specific region. Rainfall, climate, temperature, soil type, and technology all influence cropping patterns in India.


Cropping system analysis requires satellite data, which includes crop area, cropping pattern, crop rotation, crop calendar, crop vigour, soil type, and other factors. Crop rotation is generated by combining the cropping patterns of the Kharif, Rabi, and summer seasons (sequence in which crops are grown in the same field during an agricultural year).


Cropping patterns and crop rotation maps are used to assess crop diversity (number of crops occupying a specific area) and cropping intensity (number of crops grown in succession in a single field in a single year) across Indo-Gangetic plains study sites.


Types of Crop System


The soil types and climatic parameters that determine the overall agro-ecological setting for nourishment and the appropriateness of a crop or collection of crops for cultivation decided by Indian agriculture. There are three distinct crop seasons in India, namely Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid.


The following are the different types of cropping systems:


1. Monocropping

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Repetitive growing of only one crop on the same piece of land year after year is a cropping method in which only one main crop is grown on the same land year after year. Monocropping techniques are commonly used to grow rice, maize, soybeans, and wheat.


Farmers may have good crops throughout their entire farm by monocropping. On their entire farm, they will plant only the most productive crop, potentially increasing overall farm profitability.


Eventually, it enables a farmer to specialize in a specific crop, allowing them to invest in equipment built, especially for that crop, to produce a large volume of the crop. It depletes the soil significantly because the plant depletes the soil of the nutrients it needs.


This forces farmers to use fertilizers, which disrupts the soil's natural balance and contributes to a slew of environmental issues ranging from deforestation to desertification. When a farmer's land is planted solely with one crop, the practice may also lead to the spread of crop pests and diseases, which can be a serious liability. Monocropping also decreases crop diversity in general.


2. Intercropping


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Intercropping is a form of multiple cropping that involves growing two or more crops close to one another. Intercropping, as discussed above, is the simultaneous planting of two or more crops in the same area. Intercropping's most common aim is to increase the yield on a given piece of land by using tools or ecological processes that would otherwise go unused by a single crop.

 

The degree of spatial and temporal overlap between the two crops can vary, but an intercropping system must meet all requirements. There are several different forms of intercropping, all of which alter the temporal and spatial mixture in some way.

 

These are a few of the most important forms,

 

ROW INTERCROPPING: It is the simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops, with at least one crop planted in rows. Annual crops such as corn, rice, and pineapple are commonly grown as an intercrop between the rows of the main crop on farms that grow perennial crops.

 

STRIP INTERCROPPING: It is the practice of growing two or more crops in strips that are large enough to allow for different crop production using mechanical implements while remaining near enough for the crops to interact.

 

MIXED INTERCROPPING: The growing of two or more crops at the same time with no distinct row arrangement is known as MIXED INTERCROPPING OR MIXED CROPPING.

 

TEMPORAL INTERCROPPING: uses the method of interplanting a fast-growing crop with a slow-growing crop such that the fast-growing crop matures before the slow-growing crop.

 

Growing two crops next to each other can be beneficial, particularly if their interactions improve one or both plants' health. Plants that are prone to tipping over in the wind, for example, may benefit from the structural support of their companions. Light-sensitive plants can benefit from the shade provided by some plants.


3. Sequential cropping

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It's a form of multiple cropping in which crops are grown in order on the same field, with the next crop planted after the previous crop has been harvested. This scheme, which uses crops with a short growing season, makes better overall annual land use than a single crop system. Crop-by-crop, the most well-known sequential cropping systems involving various pulses have been addressed.

 

Rice-Chickpea/ Lentil/ Field pea- 

The area under rice-wheat systems has increased at a faster pace in the last two decades, thanks to the production of wheat varieties that can be planted late into December and January. The negative impact of this scheme on soil health is generally acknowledged.

 

Pigeon pea – Wheat-

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat grow pigeon pea as a main crop. Pigeon pea-wheat has emerged as a promising method in irrigated areas of northern and central India.


Short-duration varieties such as UPAS 120, Manak, ICPL 151, and Pusa 992, which mature in 120-160 days, have been introduced into irrigated rice-wheat systems in western U.P., Punjab and Haryana, Delhi, and North-East Rajasthan.

 

Rice - Urdbean/Mungbean/ Lathyrus-

Cultivation of rabi urdbean and mungbean has long been practiced in coastal areas of South India, but it gained traction only after the development of powdery mildew resistant genotypes with high yield potential, such as LBG 17, LBG 402, LBG 611, and LBG 22.


The development of these varieties in the late 1980s revolutionized the cultivation of urdbean and mungbean in rice fallow, especially in Andhra Pradesh. Aside from the benefits of improved soil quality, this method is highly efficient and stable. Other states, such as Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, have adopted this cropping method.


4. Crop rotation


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This involves switching up the crops grown in the field each season or year (or changing from crops to fallow). Crop rotation is a primary conservation agriculture principle since it increases soil structure and fertility while also assisting in the management of weeds, pests, and diseases.

 

Crop rotation is a cultural control strategy that is both old and effective. It refers to the planting of specific crops in a specific order on the same site. It also ensures that the next harvest would be from a different family than the one before it. The expected rotation can last anywhere from two to three years, or even longer.


5. Alley Cropping System


The planting of fruit, forage or specialty crops between rows of trees is known as alley cropping. This scheme is a more extensive version of intercropping or companion planting that takes place over a longer time. Rows of trees are planted at wide spacing in the Alley cropping scheme, with a companion crop grown in the alleyways between the rows.

 

Farm income, crop production, and crop protection are all improved by alley cropping. It enables the farmer to make better use of available capital and reap greater rewards. The Alley cropping method has a major drawback in that it necessitates extra labor to prune the trees.


Reference List


  1. Cropping System by SS Rana & MC Rana,

http://hillagric.ac.in/edu/coa/agronomy/lect/agron-511/511-Cropping-System-SSR-MCR.pdf  

 

  1. Cropping systems in India by JournalsofIndia,

https://journalsofindia.com/cropping-systems-in-india/

 

  1. Cropping Patterns and Cropping System in India by Josh,

https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/cropping-patterns-and-cropping-systems-in-india-1517395777-1 

  1. Crop System Analysis by ISRO,

https://www.isro.gov.in/earth-observation/cropping-system#:~:text=Search%20form-,Search,under%20a%20specific%20environmental%20condition.

  1.  Types of Cropping System by ixambee.com,

https://www.ixambee.com/blog/types-of-cropping-system/  


  1.  Intercropping Wikipedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercropping

 

  1. Cropping systems involving pulses by Vikaspedia,

https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/package-of-practices/pulses/cropping-systems-involving-pulses




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