Cropping systems are an important component of farming systems that represent the cropping patterns and interactions between crops, resources, and technology on a farm. Key aspects of cropping systems include crop rotation, multiple cropping, intercropping, and mixed cropping. Various indices are used to evaluate cropping systems, including land equivalent ratio (LER), cultivated land utilization index (CLUI), relative crowding coefficient (RCC), multiple cropping index (MCI), crop intensity index (CII), and competition index. These indices assess factors like land use efficiency, crop yields, resource use, and economic viability of different cropping patterns.

1. Cropping system in IFS
perspective

2. Cropping system
• Cropping system is an important component of a
farming system. It represents cropping pattern used on
a farm and their interaction with farm resources, other
farm enterprises and available technology which
determine their make up.
Crop production
Cropping system
Farming system
IFS
SA

3. Definition
• SA is a form of agriculture aimed at meeting
the needs of present generation without
endangering the resource base of future
generation.
• It is the practice of farming using principles of
ecology, the study of relationships between
organisms and their environment.
• It has been defined as "an integrated system
of plant and animal production practices
having a site-specific application that will last
over the long term.

4. Definitions
• Copping pattern: means the proportion of area
under various crops at a point of time in a unit
area. It indicates the yearly sequence and spatial
arrangement of crops and fallow in an area.
• Cropping scheme is a plan according to which
crops are grown on individual plot of a farm during
a given period of time with the object of obtaining
maximum return from each crop without impairing
soil fertility. Thus a cropping scheme is related to
the most profitable use of resources, land, labour,
capital, and management.

5. Terms
 Monocropping refers to growing of only one crop on a piece of land year after year. E.g.
under rainfed conditions Bajra is grown year after year.
 Multiple cropping: Growing two or more crops on the same piece of land in one calendar
year is known as multiple cropping. It is intensification of cropping in space and time
dimensions. It includes intercropping, mixed cropping and sequence cropping.
 Double cropping: Growing of two crops in a year in sequence.
 Tripple cropping: Growing of three crops in a year in sequence. Quadruple cropping:
Growing of four crops in a year in sequence.
 Competition effect: Competition of intercropped spp. For light, nutrients, water, carbon
dioxide, and other growth factors.
 Complementary effect: Effect of one component on another which enhances growth and
productivity.
 Intercropping: Intercropping is growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same
piece of land with a definite row pattern. For example growing maize + green gram in 2:1
ratio
 Mixed cropping: is growing two or more crops simultaneously intermingled without any
row pattern. It is common practice in most of dry land areas
 Sequence cropping: sequence cropping can be defined as growing of two or more crops
in sequence on the same piece of land in a farming year.

6. • COMPANION CROPS:
• When the different crops are sown in different rows but not mixed together, then
this crops are known as companion crop to each other.
GUARD CROPS:
• When hardy or thorny crops remain surrounding the main crops as a guard, is
called guard crops.
AUGMENTING CROPS:
• When different sub crops are sown for the purpose of supplement the yield of the
main crop, then the sub crops are known as augmenting crops.
SYNERGISTIC CROPPING:
• If the yield of two crops is higher when they are cultivated on a unit area in a
same time than the total yield of their pure cultivation on separate land on unit
area basis then it is called synergistic cropping.

7. Definition
• Parallel cropping: Cultivation of such crops
which have different natural habit and zero
competition e.g. Black gram /green
gram+maize. The peak nutrient demand period
for green gram is around 30-35 DAS while it is
50 DAS for maize.
• Multi-storied/multi-tiered cropping/multi-
level: Cultivation of two or more than two crops
of different heights simultaneously on a certain
piece of land in a certain period e.g.,
sugarcane+mustard+onion.

9. Crop rotation
• The practice of planting a succession of crops in a field
over a period of years. Rotations can maintain field
fertility since different crops use different soil
nutrients, so excessive demands are not made of one
nutrient.
• Crop rotation is a type of cultural control that is also used
to control pests and diseases that can established in the
soil over time. The changing of crops in a sequence tends
to decrease the population level of pests.
• Plants within the same taxonomic family tend to have
similar pests and pathogens. By regularly changing the
planting location, the pest cycles can be broken or
limited.

12. Rice based cropping systems

13. Predominant in heavy rainfall areas
Rice based cropping systems

18. Deficiency of major nutrient
N,P and K is widespread
49% of soils deficient in Zn
50% in S
12% in Fe,
5% in Mn,
3% in copper (Cu),
33% in boron (B) and
11% in molybdenum (Mo).
Fallow-wheat
Bajra-wheat
Maize-wheat
MB/UB-wheat
Tur-wheat
Soybean-wheat

20. Maize based cropping systems

39. The prevalent cropping systems in agro-climatic zone

40. Indices in Cropping System

41. Cropping system evaluation basis
Land use
efficiency
Biological
potential
Technical
feasibility
Economic
viability
Energetic
approach
MCI Production
efficiency
Choice of agro
technology
Monetary input-
output ratio
Pro modernity
index
LUI CEY Resource demand HI Pro industry
index
Cultivated LUI RYT Existing CS NR Energy
efficiency index
R value LER B:C ratio Output parity index
CI SLER IER REI
CII II (Inter Index)
SCII RCC
RCII A
ATER CR
RYI
RSI

42. Land Equivalent Ratio
• Land Equivalent Ratio: It denotes relative land
area under sole crop required to produce the
same yield as obtained under a mixed or an
intercropping system at the same level of
management. It is the ratio of land required by
pure crop to produce the same yield as intercrop.
LER = Ya/Sa + Yb/Sb Ya, Yb is the yield of a and b
crop grown as intercrop, Sa, Sb is the yield of a
and b crop grown as sole crop, LER = Yield of
intercrop over yield of pure crop.

43. Cultivated Land /Utilization Index
• It is calculated by summing the products of land area to
each crop, multiplied by the actual duration of that crop
divided by the total cultivated land times 365 days.
Where, n total number of crops; ai area occupied by the ith crop, di, days that
the ith crop occupied and A = total cultivated land area available for 365 days
If the index is 1 (100%), it shows that the land has
been left fallow and more than 1, tells the specification
of intercropping and relay cropping.
limitation of CLUI is its inability to consider the land
temporarily available to the farmer for cultivation.

44. Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC)
• It is used in replacement series of intercropping .It
indicates whether a crop, when grown in mixed
population, has similar productivity as in sole cropping
• Where, Kab=RCC of crop a intercropped with crop b,
Yab=Yield per unit area of crop a intercropped with crop
b, Yaa= Yield per unit of sole crop a Zab=Proportion of
intercropped area initially allocated to crop, a
Zba=Proportion of intercropped area initially allocated
to crop, b
• RCC > 1 means yield advantage RCC = 1 no difference
RCC < 1 yield disadvantage ced more or less yield than
expected.

45. Multiple Cropping Index or Multiple Cropping Intensity
• It was proposed by Dalarymple (1971). It is the ratio of total
area cropped in a year to the land area available for
cultivation and expressed in percentage.
• Or MCI is the sum of area planted to different crops and
harvested in a single year divided by total cultivable area and
expressed as percentage.
• Or MCI means the sum of areas under various crops raised in
a single years divided by net area available for that cropping
pattern multiplied by 100.
• It is similar to cropping intensity.
• MCI = Total number of crops + with their respective area
________________________________________ * 100
Net cultivable area

46. Crop Intensity Index (CII)
• Crop intensity index assesses farmers actual
land use in area and time relationship for each
crop or group of crops compared to the total
available land area and time, including land that
is temporarily available for cultivation.
• When, CII = 1 means that area or land resources
have been fully utilized and less than 1 indicates
under utilization of resources.

47. CII and LER are used to assess the efficient cropping
zone
• Cropping intensity/intensity of cropping (CI)
indicates the number of times a field is grown with
crops in a year. It is calculated by dividing gross
cropped area with net area available in the farm,
region or country multiplied by 100.

48. Specific Crop Intensity Index
• It proposed by Menegay et al. 1978. SCII is a
derivative of CII and determines the amount of
area – time denoted to each crop or group of
crops compared to total time available to the
farmers.

49. Diversity Index (DI)
• It measures the multiplicity of crops or farm products which
are planted in a single year by computing the reciprocal sum
of squares of the share of gross revenue received from each
individual farm enterprises in a single year.

50. Simultaneous Cropping Index (SCI)
• It is computed by multiplying the Harvest
diversity index (HDI) with 10,000 and dividing
the product by Multiple cropping index (MCI).
It is given by Strout, 1975.
HDI-It measures the multiplicity of crops or farm products which are planted in a
single year by computing reciprocal sum of squares of the share of gross revenue
received from each individual farm enterprises in a single year.

51. Aggressivity
• It is the mixture of how much the relative yield
increase in component a is greater than that for
b.
• Aab = Yab / (Yaa x Zab) - Yba/( Ybb x Zba)
• Aab = Zero mean component crops are equally
competitive, Aab = negative means dominated,
Aab = Bigger value either positive or negative
means bigger difference in competitive abilities.

52. Competition Index
• It is measure to find out the yield of various crops
when grown together as well as separately. It
represents the yield per plant of different crops in
mixture and their respective pure stand on unit
area basis.
• CI= (Yaa-Yab) X (Ybb-Yba) / Yaa x Ybb
• Yab- mixture yield of a crop grown with b Yba-
mixture yield of b crop grown with a Yaa-yield in
pure stand of crop a Ybb-yield in pure stand of
crop b

53. Competition coefficient
• Ratio of the RCC of any given spp in the
mixture
• CC = RCC of a given spp. /Total RCC of all
crops in mixture

54. Indices based on Energetic approach

55. Sustainable agriculture
• It can be defined as that form of agriculture
aimed at meeting the food and fuel needs of
the present generation without endangering
the resource base for the future generations.
• It is an efficient management system of
renewable resources including soil, forests,
crops, biodiversity and ecosystem without
degradation, to provide adequate food and
other needs for the current and future
generations.

56. Components of sustainable system
• Soil and water conservation to prevent degradation of soil
productivity
• Efficient use of limited irrigation water to avoids problems of soil
salinity, alkalinity and high groundwater table.
• Appropriate crop rotations to mitigate weed, disease and insect
problems besides soil productivity improvement.
• INM to reduces the need for inorganic fertilizers, improves the soil
health and minimize the environmental pollution by conjuctive use
of organics, in-organics and bio-fertilizers.
• Integrated plant protection that reduces the need for agrochemicals
through crop rotation, weather monitoring, use of resistant
varieties, timely planting of crops and biological plant protection.
• Management systems to control weeds by preventive measures,
tillage, timely cultivation and crop rotation which improve plant
health.

58. • Total Factor Productivity (TFP), It is defined as
productivity per unit cost of all factors
involved (Herdt, 1993).
Where, P is total production, R is resource used and c is the
cost of the resource, and n is the number of resources used in
achieving total production

59. Coefficient of sustainability
• Coefficient of sustainability (Cs), It is measure of
change in soil properties in relation to production
under specific management system (Lal 1991).
Where, Cs is coefficient of sustainability, oi is output per unit
that maximizes per capita productivity or profit, ad is output
per unit decline in the most limiting or non-renewable
resource, Om is the minimum assured output, and t is the
time. The time scale is important and must be carefully
selected.

60. Index of sustainability
• It is a measure of sustainability relating
productivity to change in soil and
environmental characteristics