1) Integration of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) into different cropping systems can help address issues of limited land availability for MAP cultivation and ensure optimal resource utilization. MAPs can be grown as intercrops or in multistorey, agroforestry, and crop rotation systems. 2) Intercropping MAPs provides benefits like increased total productivity, insurance against crop failure, and better use of resources. Examples of successful MAP intercropping include senna with chickpea, and various aromatic plants grown with coconut or oil palm. 3) MAPs are also suited to agroforestry systems, where they can be grown among timber trees or as components of multistore

1. Integration of Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants in different Cropping Systems
Sukriti DuttA
Research Scholar
Csir-neist, jorhat, assam

2. Introduction
MAPs are not only as a source of affordable health care
products - also as a source of income
Systematic collection and conservation of MAPs is lacking in
India
90% collection of medicinal plants is from wild sources and
10% of MAPs are distributed among other landscape
elements like open grasslands, agricultural pastures,
wasteland and fresh water bodies etc.

3. Dwindling supplies from natural resources and increasing
global demand - expanding the cultivation of MAPs - an
important strategy
No scope for horizontal expansion of cultivated area
Integrate MAPs in different cropping systems with the
predominant crops of the region

4. Different ways of growing crops to give maximum benefit
Two types of cropping patterns:
• Mixed cropping: Growing two or more crops
simultaneously on the same piece of land
• Inter cropping: Practice of growing two or more crops
with a definite row pattern in proximity

5. Intercropping

6. Objectives
• Insurance against total crop failure under aberrant
weather conditions or pest epidemics.
• Increase in total productivity per unit land area
• Judicious utilization of resources such as land
labour and inputs

7. Intercropping in Medicinal Aromatic Plants (MAPs)
• Major constraint in cultivation of MAPs - availability of
cultivable land
• In order to derive maximum benefit of soil moisture,
nutrients and other inputs, MAPs can be grown as inter-
crops
• The most common goal of Intercropping is to produce a
greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of
resources that would otherwise not be utilized by a single
crop

8. • Examples of Intercropping strategies are planting a
deep-rooted crop with shallow-rooted crop, or
planting a tall crop with shorter crop which
requires partial shade.
• Senna (Cassia angustifolia) can be effectively
intercropped with chick pea than Sunflower,
Linseed, Mustard, Wheat to obtain better Senna
herb yield along with maximum net return.

9. Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) with
Coconut Plants

10. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) with
Coconut Plants

11. Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini var. motia)with
Bengal gram

12. Alpinia galanga with Coconut Plants

13. Coconut+Banana+Patchaoli

14. Coconut + Palmarosa + Mango Ginger + Patchouli + Citronella
Tamil NaduCoconut + Aloe vera + Alpinia + Tulsi
Coconut+ Satavari + Adulsa + Arrow root + Lemon grass +
Citronella
Coconut + Sarpagandha + Aswagandha + Arrowroot
Coconut+Piper+Sarpagandha+Patchouli
Kerala
Ratnagiri,
Maharastra
West Bengal
Assam

15.  Stevia rebaudiana, Andrographis paniculata and
Catharanthus roseus could be grown profitably
under the arecanut compared to Aloe vera, Alpinia
galanga, Coleus forskohlii and Ocimum sanctum as
their biomass yield reduced drastically under
arecanut.
 Asparagus racemosus and Nilgirianthus ciliatus were
found as promising yield.

16.  Even Bacopa monnieri and Ocimum basilicum
could be considered as they also reported to give
high returns per rupee investment and better
system productivity
 Substantial additional income

17. Oil palm based cropping system
Alpinia calcarata Rosc. is highly adaptable to
various oil palm canopy shade conditions.
5-15 years

18. Intercropping of medicinal plants in
black pepper
• Inter-spaces remain unutilized during early years
of planting
• Adhatoda beddomei ,
• Desmodium gangeticum,
• Pseudarthria viscida,
• Plumbago zeylinicum,
• Niligirianthus ciliatus,
• Alpinia calcarata,
• Crysopogon zizanioides,
• Asparagus racemosus.

19. Intercropping of medicinal plants in
black pepper
• Asparagus gave maximum yield (1998 kg/ha)
followed by Alpinia (1,700 kg/ha).
• Highest income (B:C ratio = 2.3:1) was obtained
with Crysopogon intercropping

20. MAPS in multistorey cropping system
• It is a system of growing crops together of different
heights at the same time on the same piece of land
and thus using land, water, and space most
efficiently and economically
• New plantations of coffee, tea & cocoa offer scope
for cultivation of forest medicinal trees that are
under demand

21. Medicinal trees
• Prunus africana (Red stinkwood),
• Eucalyptus globules (for oil),
• Santalum album (Sandalwood),
• Saraca ashoka (Ashok),
• Aegle marmelos (Bael),
• Anona squamosa (Custard apple),
• Emblica officinalis (Amla),
• Moringa oleifera (Drumstick) and
• Sapindus mukorossi (Soap nut tree)

22. Medicinal trees
• Medicinal trees may allow intercropping for many
years or on a permanent basis depending on the
spacing and nature of the trees.
• The intercrops give some income to farmers during
the period when the main trees have not started
production.
• Eucalyptus citriodora can be effectively grown along
with Coffee, Lemongrass and Palmarosa.

23. Types of Intercropping
• Mixed Intercropping: The component crops are
mixed in the available space.
• Row Cropping: Component crops are arranged
alternate rows.
• Alley Cropping: An agroforestry practice where
agricultural or horticultural crops are grown in the
alleyways between widely spaced rows of woody
plants.

24.  Strip Cropping: Growing soil conserving crops in
alternate strips running perpendicular to the slope
of the land or to the direction of prevailing winds
for the purpose of reducing erosion.
 Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides),
 Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and
 Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus)

25. •Relay Cropping: The second crop is sown during the
growth, often near the onset of reproductive
development or fruiting, of the first crop, so that the
first crop is harvested to make room prepare for the
full development of the second crop.

26. Crop rotation
• Crop rotation - Growing two or more crops in a
sequence in the same land within a specified time
period, which is usually one calendar year.
• This system allows utilization of land throughout
or most part of year.
• In the recent past, the rice-wheat rotation with
corn mint has been successfully practiced over a
very large area in the Indo-Gangetic plains.

27. As per CIMAP recommendation
First year Crop Second year Crop
July/August to
October (Kharif
season)
Rice June/July to
November/
December
Pigeon pea
November/Dece
mber to March
(Rabi season)
Chickpea November/
December to
April
Wheat
March/April to
June/July
(Zaid season)
Corn mint April to July/
August
Corn mint

28. MAPs and Agroforestry
• Forests are the primary source of medicinal plants,
and MAPs are one of the many valuable categories
of non timber forest products (NTFPs).
• Forests provide a wealth of highly prized MAPs,
whether in the alpine and sub-alpine Northwest
Himalayas, Afro-mountain areas, humid tropics or
temperate regions.
• In India, medicinal plants are harvested regularly
in appreciable quantities and exported with
government approval.

29. Aromatic plants with timber tree
• M. arvensis,
• M. piperita,
• M. citrata var. citrata,
• M. spicata,
• M. cardiac,
• M. gracilis,
• C. flexuosus,
• C. winterianus,
• C. martinii.
Populus deltoides
or Eucalyptus spp

30. Aromatic plants with timber tree
• Pelargonium graveolens
• M. arvensis,
• M. piperita,
• M. citrata var. citrata,
• M. spicata,
• M. cardiac and M. gracilis
• C. flexuosus,
• C. winterianus,
• C. martinii.
• 2-4 times greater economic returns than sole cropping
Initial 3-5 years
Eucalyptus citriodora

31. Aromatic plants profitably grown in association with
fuel and timber trees such as Leucana leucocephala,
Casuarina spp. and Grevillea robusta.
Aromatic grasses such as vetiver (Vetiveria
zizanioides), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and
citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus ) can be grown on
field bunds and soil conservation bunds.
In West Bengal, Costus speciosus, a diosgenin
producing plant, is recommended as major storey crop
in social forestry programs.

32. 9
Acacia auriculiformis,
Albizia lebbeck,
Eucalyptus tereticornis,
Gmelina arborea &
Leucaeana leucocephala
Most of the temperate medicinal plants are highly suitable for
agroforestry system
Safed musli (C. borivilianum),
Rauvolfia (Rauvolfia
serpentina)
Turmeric (Curcuma longa),
Wild turmeric (C. aromatica),
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

33. Teak and Tulsi

37. Conclusion
The time of peak nutrient demands of component
crops should not be overlapped.
Competition for light should be minimum among
the component crops.
Complementary should exist between the
component crops.
The difference in maturity of component crops
should be at least 30 days.

38. References
• Nath, J.C., Deka, K.K.,Saud, B.K. and Mahaswarappa, H.P.(2015).
“Intercropping of medicinal and aromatic crops in adult Coconut
garden under Brahmaputra valley region of Assam.” Journalm of
Plantation Crops. 43(1): 17-22.
• Oum, G. and Jeruto, P. (2010). “Sustainable horticultural crop
production through intercropping: The case of fruit and vegetable
crops: A review.” Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America.
1(5): 1098-1105.
• Singh, D.C., Sharma, A. and Vashit K.(2015). “Intercropping of
Medicinal Plants.” International Journal of Applied Ayurved
Research. 1(9):48-54.
• http://www.agriinfo.in/?page=topic&superid=1&topicid=661.