Multiple cropping

(agriculture) A system of growing several food crops on the same field in one year.

Planting two or more species in the same field in the same year. Preserved through history to maintain biological, economic, and nutritional diversity, multiple-species systems still are used by the majority of the world's farmers, especially in developing countries. Where farm size is small and the lack of capital has made it difficult to mechanize and expand, farm families that need a low-risk source of food and income often use multiple cropping. These systems maintain a green and growing crop canopy over the soil through much of the year, the total season depending on rainfall and temperature. Systems with more than one crop frequently make better use of total sunlight, water, and available nutrients than is possible with a single crop. The family has a more diverse supply of food and more than one source of income, with both spread over much of the year.

Multiple-cropping patterns are described by the number of crops per year and the intensity of crop overlap. Double cropping or triple cropping signifies systems with two or three crops planted sequentially with no overlap in growth cycle. Intercropping indicates that two or more crops are planted at the same time, or at least planted so that significant parts of their growth cycles overlap. Relay cropping describes the planting of a second crop after the first crop has flowered; in this system there still may be some competition for water or nutrients. When a crop is harvested and allowed to regrow from the crowns or root systems, the term ratoon cropping is used. Sugarcane, alfalfa, and sudangrass are commonly produced in this way, while the potential exists for such tropical cereals as sorghum and rice. Mixed cropping, strip cropping, associated cropping, and alternative cropping represent variations of these systems. See also Agriculture; Agronomy.

In agriculture, multiple cropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in the same space during a single growing season. ^[1] It is a form of polyculture. It can take the form of double-cropping, in which a second crop is planted after the first has been harvested, or relay cropping, in which the second crop is started amidst the first crop before it has been harvested. A related practice, companion planting, is sometimes used in gardening and intensive cultivation of vegetables and fruits. One example of multi-cropping is tomatoes + onions + marigold; the marigolds repel some tomato pests.

Multiple cropping is found in many agricultural traditions. In the Garhwal Himalaya of India, a practice called baranaja involves sowing 12 or more crops on the same plot, including various types of beans, grams, and millets, and harvesting them at different times.

In the cultivation of rice, multiple cropping requires effective irrigation, especially in areas with a dry season. Rain that falls during the wet season permits the cultivation of rice during that period, but during the other half of the year, water cannot be channeled into the rice fields without an irrigation system. ^[2] The Green Revolution in Asia led to the development of high-yield varieties of rice, which required a substantially shorter growing season of 100 days, as opposed to traditional varieties, which needed 150 to 180 days. Due to this, multiple cropping became more prevalent in Asian countries. ^[3]

One kind of multiple cropping is intercropping, where an additional crop is planted in the spaces available between the main crop. ^[4]

See also

• succession planting
• nurse crop
• home gardens
• forest gardening

References

1. ^ Bunnett, R.B. (2002). Interactive Geography 4, p. 98. SNP Pan Pacific Publishing. ISBN 981-208-657-9.
2. ^ Bunnett, p. 104.
3. ^ Bunnett, p. 107.
4. ^ Bunnett, p. 123.

External links

• Relay Cropping Wheat and Soybeans

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