1. A cropping system refers to the crops and crop sequences grown on a particular field over several years along with the management techniques used. It is an important component of a farming system. 2. There are several types of cropping systems including sole cropping, multiple cropping, intercropping, relay cropping, and alley cropping. Multiple cropping and intercropping aim to grow two or more crops simultaneously to maximize land use. 3. Choosing the right cropping system can maintain soil fertility, enhance crop growth, control weeds and pests, reduce risks, and improve food security. Key principles include selecting complementary crops and rotations that efficiently use resources.

1. Prepared By: Dr. Pooja Goswami
Assistant Professor
Department Of Agronomy
College of Agriculture, Balaghat
JNKVV, Jabalpur
Cropping Pattern and Cropping System

2. Cropping System
Cropping system:
The term cropping system refers to the crops and crop
sequences and the management
techniques used on a particular field over a period of years.
Cropping system is the most important component of a farming
system.
Cropping pattern:
It indicates the yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops
and fallow in an area. It is for larger area like zone, taluka,
district etc.

3. Basic principles of cropping
systems
1. Choose crops that complement each other.
2. Choose crops and a cropping rotation which utilize
available resources efficiently.
3. Choose crops and a cropping system that maintain and
enhance soil fertility.
4. Choose crops which have a diversity of growth cycles.
5. Choose a diverse species of crops.
6. Strategically plan and modify your cropping system as
needed.
7. Monitor the progress.

4. Benefits of Cropping System
1.Maintain and enhance soil fertility.
Some crops are soil exhausting while others help restore soil
fertility. However, a diversity of crops will maintain soil fertility
and keep production levels high.
2. Enhance crop growth.
Crops may provide mutual benefits to each other. For example,
reducing lodging, improving winter survival or even acting as
windbreaks to improve growth.
3. Minimize spread of disease. The more diverse the species of
plants and the longer the period before the soil is reseeded with the
same crop, the more likely disease problems will be avoided.

5. Continued…
4. Control weeds. Crops planted at different times of the
year have different weed species
associated with them. Rotating crops helps prevent build
up of any one serious weed
species.
5. Inhibit pest and insect growth. Changing crops each
year to unrelated species can
dramatically reduce the population of pests and insects.
Crop rotation frequently
eliminates their food source and changes the habitat
available to them.

6. Continued…
6. Use resources more efficiently. Having a diverse group of
crops helps to more efficiently use the available resources. Natural
resources, such as nutrients, sunlight and water in the soil are
evenly shared by plants over the growing period for nutrient
deficiencies and drought. Other resources, such as labor, animal
draft power and machinery are also utilized more efficiently.
7. Reduce risk for crop failure. Having a diverse group of crops
helps prevent total crop failures, as climate weather in one part of
the season may not affect all crops equally. It also reduces food
security concerns, as well as the amount of money required to
finance production.
8. Improve food and financial security. Choosing an appropriate
and diverse number of crops will lead to a more regular food
production throughout the year.

7. Types of Cropping System

8. Types of Cropping System
1. Sole cropping
Only a single crop or variety is grown alone in a
pure stand at normal density during one farming
year.
2. Mono cropping or Monoculture
Mono cropping or monoculture refers to growing
of only one crop on same piece of land year after
year.

9. Advantages and Disadvantages of
monoculture/monocropping :-
Advantages
1) Convenience in sowing with the help of machinery under
mechanized farming.
2) It is convenient for harvesting with the help of machinery.
Disadvantages:-
1) Due to unsuitable soil and nutrient management practices,
productivity is reduced year after year under monoculture
practices.
2) Soil structure may be deteriorated.
3) Increase infestation of pests, diseases and weeds.
4)The resources like labour, fertilizers, water and machines
are not utilized efficiently.
5) Natural resources are not fully utilized.

10. 2) Multiple cropping –
Two or more crops are grown on the same piece of
land in one calendar year
E.g. Sorghum-Wheat-Green Gram
Maize-Wheat-Green gram
Rice-Wheat-Black gram-Linseed
It aims of maximum production per unit area per unit
time. It offers multiple use of resource. It is the
intensification of cropping in time and space dimensions
i.e. more number of crops within a year & more no of
crops on the same piece of land at any given period. It
includes inter-cropping, mixed cropping, sequence
cropping etc.

11. Multiple Cropping

12. Advantages of multiple cropping
1. It is a better source of land utilization
2. It improves yield
3. Increase yield per unit of land
4. Costs of input decrease as compared to individual crop
growing cost
5. Reduce pest and disease attack
6. Different type of products can be produce at a time
7. It helps to produce a balance diet for a family
8. It helps to maintain the soil fertility
9. It helps to control weeds

13. Disadvantages of multiple cropping
1.The survival of pests become easy
2. Pests can easily shift from one crop to
another crop
3. Problem of weed management
4. Implementation of new technology is
difficult etc.

14. Types of multiple cropping :
A. Mixed cropping : Mixed cropping is
common practice in rainfed or dry
farming areas. Generally, legumes crops
like red gram, black gram, green gram,
cowpea etc. or oilseed crops like
groundnut, mustard etc. are mixed with
cereal crops like jowar or bajra. Sowing
is done by drilling the mixture of seed
with the help of seed drill or moghan
can be attached behind the seed drill for
sowing of mixed crop. Usually, cereals
are grown as main crop and pulses or
oilseeds as minor or mixed crop.

15. Advantages of Mixed cropping
1) Risk of failure of crop is less
2) Fulfills the daily requirements of food grains, oilseeds,
pulses etc.
3) Improve fertility of the soil if legumes are taken as minor
crop
4) Better distribution of labour throughout the crop period
5) Increase gross monetary returns
6) Well balanced cattle feed is obtained
7) Safeguards against pests and diseases
8) Full utilization of space and available plant nutrients

16. Disadvantages of Mixed Cropping:-
1) Sometimes control of pests, diseases and
weeds become difficult
2) Sometimes affects the yield of main crop
3) Harvesting with the help of machinery is
not possible

17. Types of Mixed Cropping:-
Mixed crop: - Seeds of different crops are mixed together and
then sown either in lines or broadcasted is called as mixed crop.
Companion crop: - Seeds of different crops are not mixed
together but different crops are sown in different rows is called as
companion crop.
Guard crop: - The main crop is sown in the center, surrounded
by hardy crop to provide protection to main crop is called as guard
crop. E.g. Safflower around wheat, mesta around sugarcane.
Augmenting crop: - Sub crops are sown to supplement the yield
of main crop; the sub crop is called as augmenting crops. Eg.
Japanese mustard with berseem.

18. Types of multiple cropping :
B. Inter cropping
Inter cropping is growing two or more crops simultaneously
on the same piece of land with a
definite row arrangement.
The main objective of inter-cropping is to utilize the space
left between two rows of main
crops and to produce more grain per unit area. Inter cropping
was originally practiced as an insurance against crop failure
under rainfed condition.
e.g.: Groundnut & Tur in 6:1 ratio or sorghum & Tur in 4:2
ratio

19. Intercropping is further classified as:
1. Additive Series: Intercrop is introduced in
the base crop. It is done by adjusting or
changing
crop geometry. It is mostly used in India. Eg:
maize + mungbean (1+1)

20. Replacement Series: Both the crops are component
crops. It is done by sacrificing certain
proportion of population. It is mostly used in
western countries. e.g: wheat + mustard
(9:1), maize + mungbean (1:3)

21. Advantages of intercropping:
1. Improvement in yield
2. Improvement in soil property under legume
intercropping system
3. Less risk against crop diseases and pests
4. Additional income and higher profit
5. Soil erosion is reduced
6. Stability in production
7. Economic sustainability is maintainedx

22. Disadvantages of intercropping:
1. Fertilizer application in one crop may
hamper the growth of other crop
2. Improved implements cannot be used
efficiently
3. Harvesting is difficult
4. Yield decreases if the crops differ in their
competitive abilities

23. Relay cropping:-
It is the cropping system in
which succeeding crop (next
crop) is or sown or planted
when the first crop
(preceding crop) has
reached its physiological
maturity stage or before it is
ready to harvest is called as
relay cropping. Eg. Rice –
Linseed / lentil / black gram
/ chickpea.

24. Advantages of relay cropping:
1) Better utilization of residual moisture and
fertilizers.
2) Reduces the cost of cultivation practices.
3) Also reduces the cost of fertilizers and
irrigation.
4) Labour requirement is less.
5) Incidence of pest, diseases and weeds is
less due to early sowing operation.

25. Disadvantages of Relay Cropping
1) Risk of crop failure is more.
2) Harvesting by means machinery is
difficult.
3) Lack of availability of skilled labour.
4) Greater incidence of pest, disease and
weeds.

26. Alley cropping:-
The system of growing jowar, maize, bajra or any other arable
crop in the alleys (passage between two rows) of leguminous
shrubs like subabul (Leucaena leucacephala) is called as alley
cropping.
Growing of maize, jowar, bajra, cowpea in between rows of
subabul planted at 5-10 m spacing, this system is useful for
conservation of moisture and maintaining fertility of soil in dry
farming areas.
The loppings of the subabul are used as green fodder for
animals or spread in between the crop rows as mulch for
conservation of soil moisture and after delaying it adds organic
matter to the soil.

27. Picture of Alley Cropping

28. Advantages of alley cropping:
1) Better utilization of natural resources.
2) Reduces the cost of cultivation.
3) Improves the soil fertility and
productivity.
4) Provides fodder for animals and food for
human.

29. Disadvantages of Alley cropping
1) Competition among the natural resources
ie., moisture, nutrients, light and space.
2) Incidence of pest, diseases and weeds is
more.
3) Chances of crop failure is more.
4) Less yield is obtained.

30. Multistoried cropping:-
In this system the crops of different height and
vertical layers of leaf canopies, sunlight
requirements and root system are grown
together on the same field is called as
multistoried cropping. Generally, the shorter
crops favouring shade and humidity are grown
in passage between the rows of taller crops,
which are tolerant to strong sunlight.

31. Picture of Multistoried Cropping

32. Advantages of Multistoried cropping:
1) Better utilization of moisture and nutrients
in different soil layers.
2) Better utilization of sunlight and space.
3) Provides a balanced food for humans.
4) Enrichment of organic matter or plant
residues in soil.
5) Improve the water holding capacity of
soil.

33. d) Double cropping:-
It is multiple cropping system in which two
crops are grown in sequence on the same
piece of land in a year. e.g. Black gram-
Jowar, Black gram-Wheat, Rice-Gram,
Groundnut-Wheat etc.

34. e) Triple cropping:-
It is the multiple cropping system in which
three crops are grown in sequence on a same
land in a year. It is possible when irrigation
facilities are available throughout the year.
eg. Groundnut-Wheat-Okra, Rice-Wheat-
Groundnut,Jowar-Potato-Greengram,
Soybean-Wheat-Groundnut etc.

35. f) Quadruple cropping:-
It is the multiple cropping system in which
four crops are grown in a sequence on the
same land in a year. It is possible under
irrigated conditions throughout the year. e.g.
G.nut-Coriander-Wheat-Greengram,
Soybean-Methi-Wheat-Green gram etc.

36. II) Ratoon cropping or Ratooning:-
The cultivation of crop regrowth after harvest is known as
rotoon cropping.
Ratooning is one of the important systems of intensive
cropping, which implies more than one harvest from one
sowing/planting because of regrowth from the basal buds on the
stem after harvest of first crop.
 Thus ratooning consists of allowing the stubbles of the original
crop to strike again or to produce the tillers
after harvesting and to raise another crop. eg. Ratooning of
Sugarcane, Hybrid Jowar,
Hybrid Bajra and Redgram etc.

37. Factors influencing Choice of Crops in
Cropping System
a)Farm resources
Choice of the cropping system depends on land, labour
and water. Amount of rainfall as well as soil type and
water holding capacity influence the type of cropping
system based on the length of crop growing season
b) Farm enterprises
Enterprise at the farm level leads to a cropping system
having specific crops eg.. Fodder crops in dairy and
grain crops in poultry.

38. c) Farm technology
Improved technologies alter the cropping systems In deep
black soils with annual rainfall more than 750 mm, dry
seeding yields both kharif and rabi crops instead of only
one rabi crop in the post rainy season. Besides putting
various measures to increase the productivity in organically
grown 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.
Cropping intensities of any farming system could be
increased by practice of intercropping and multiple
cropping by way of more efficient utilization of the
resources.