Difference between mixed cropping and intercropping

Introduction

Agriculture is the art of cultivating plants. The rise of human civilizations was entirely based on agriculture as it acts as a key for development. Agriculture helped the human species to grow in its population larger than hunting and gathering. The agriculture practice is also called as forming while researchers and others working on to improve the cultivating techniques and actualizes are likewise supposed to be occupied with agriculture. Thus who are forming in a small region can get benefited as agriculture is one of the important resources that should be practised in a manner to prevent harmful pests and fertilizers that might damage the field.

One of the most important processes in agriculture is cropping. Cropping is the sequence is the patter that is being used in cultivating the crops to avoid exploitation of the nature of the soil and to keep them with rich in minerals. agriculture is the backbone of India.

Also, view: Importance of rice

Cropping

Agriculture is one of the most important practises as it gives the necessary vitamins to makes lives on earth. If there is no pattern or rules to follow while cultivating the crops it also results in making the cultivating lands to be a barren land as year are passed by. To prevent this serious issue an alternate method must be implemented to prevent this disaster one such kind of the alternate methods is cropping.

Cropping is can be implemented based on the nature of the land and it is divided into various types and practices. Cropping can be used to balance the minerals and vitamins after harvesting to make a perfect ecology. If cropping is not being followed based on the nature of the soil then in a few years the soil or land will be turned to be unfit for agriculture.

A cropping system is a type of arrangement in which the pattern and the practice are followed to grow up the crops. It includes all cropping groupings rehearsed over space and time-dependent on the accessible advances of harvest creation. Cropping systems have been generally organized to boost crop yields.

Presently, there is a solid need to configuration cropping systems which mull over the developing social, prudent, and natural or ecological concerns. Rationing soil, water and keeping up long haul soil efficiency rely generally upon the administration of cropping systems, which impact the greatness of soil disintegration and soil natural issue elements. While exceptionally debased grounds may require the land transformation to non-farming systems for their rebuilding, wisely picked and appropriately oversaw cropping systems can keep up or even improve soil efficiency and reestablish modestly corrupted terrains by improving soil flexibility. Harvesting the crops without spoiling the heredity of the soil is one of the most important things in agricultural systems.

what is the Need for Cropping system

Agriculture is one of the most important business in the world. Agriculture can also be called as the backbone of the world as without the cultivation crops living on earth will be difficult. There are a lot of difficulties that have been faced by the formers nowadays and among them, the serious issue is that the life of the agricultural land. If there the crops are being grown in an irregular pattern then the land will become barren in some years, after which the land will be unfit for agriculture.

Another such serious issue in the agriculture is the lack of the availability of freshwater as agriculture depends on the water there is a serious conversation of the water resources to make the less usage of the available resource irrigation process is being followed as the crops get the necessary water without any wastage. Similarly to this cropping system is a set of patter that is being followed to prevent the exploitation of the natural minerals and vitamins.

Types of cropping

1. Monocropping
2. Crop Rotation
3. Sequential Cropping
4. Inter Cropping
5. Relay Cropping.

Mocropping

It is the practice of cultivating the same crop in all year without the replacing with another crop or the absence of rotation with other crops or growing multiple crops on the same land. Mono cropping managed the formers to have consistent forming throughout the entire forming. This type of agricultural system follows a strategy that emphasizes the use of specialized and expensive farming practices.

Hence this forming can leads to increase the dependents and increases the capital money for initial cultivation which cannot be produced locally and it requires to be highly financed. This can roll out a critical improvement in the financial matters of cultivating in locales that are familiar with independence in the production of agriculture.

Crop Rotation

This is the practice of growing different series of the crop in the same land across the pattern of growing in seasons. It reduces the dependence on one lot of supplements, pests, weed pressure, and the likelihood of developing pest resistant and weeds. Growing of the same crop in the same field for years in a row it will drain gradually about the nutrients and minerals in the soil which is a result of using highly competitive pest and weed community. Without adjusting supplement use and expanding vermin and weed networks, the efficiency of monocultures is exceptionally reliant on outer sources.

There fore a well-designed crop rotation system will help in the prevention of the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides thereby it helps in increasing better ecosystem services from a diverse set of crops.

Sequential Cropping

This is the practice of growing crops in a sequence within a year that is sowing a crop after the harvest of the other crop. when cultivating two or more types of the crop in the same land is referred to as sequential cropping. The main benefit of this type of cropping is that it helps to maintain the land with rich vitamins and minerals for years. This type of cultivation is known as multiple or mixed cropping. The sequential forming is most encouraged by the formers as it helps to regain the miners which are being lost as the result of the cultivation of cash or some other crops which consumes the entire wealth of the land.

Intercropping

Intercropping is the practice of cultivating two or more crops in the same field or cultivating two or more crops simultaneously on the same form. The most widely recognized objective of intercropping is to create a more noteworthy yield on a given land parcel by utilizing assets or environmental cycles that would somehow not be used by a single crop. The sequential and intercropping are the most widely used cropping systems.

Relay Cropping

Relay cropping is a technique of multiple cropping where one yield is cultivated into standing the subsequent harvest a long time before gathering of the subsequent harvest. Relay cropping may tackle various clashes like wasteful utilization of accessible assets, discussions in planting time, manure application and soil corruption.

Difference between Mixed cropping and Intercropping

Mixed Cropping

• This is the practice of growing crops in a sequence within a year that is sowing a crop after the harvest of the other crop.
• The main aim of mixed cropping is to minimize the effect of crop failure.
• The seeds of various crops are being mixed before they are being sowed into the land.
• In the mixed cropping system, all crops are being sown together at the same time on the yield.
• In this forming, there is no such pattern like a row-wise or column-wise. There are being sown into the land randomly.
• All crops are being given by equal emphasis.
• In mixed cropping, there is a difficulty in the usage of using fertilizer as various crops are being mixed
• As a result of sowing various crops in the same field may also result in the risk of difficulty in the usage of the pesticides.
• The duration of maturation of all crops will have an almost similar life cycle.
• There will be great difficulty in harvesting these crops.
• As a result of harvesting all the crops together, there is a great difficulty in threshing these crops.

Intercropping

• The main aim of the intercropping is to increase productivity from the unit area.
• The main difference between the mixed cropping and intercropping is that the in mixed cropping the seeds are well mixed together before sowing, whereas in intercropping the seeds are not mixed before sowing.
• In intercropping the time taken for sowing the crops in the land might be same or different.
• In intercropping, during the sowing of the crops into the field by grouping different crops into the ground in different rows and columns.
• The main crops are given more emphasis in the intercropping system.
• As per the need of the crops, the fertilizers can be used.
• The main crop and intercrop show up a considerable difference in the life cycle of the duration of the maturation.
• Different crops from the same field can be harvested easily without any difficulty like the mixed cropping.
• Threshing is easy and possible after harvesting the crops unlike the mixed cropping as these crops are being harvested separately.

Advantages of Mixed forming

• Harvests keep up profitability with lesser input.
  There is more land to be cultivated with the same amount of labour and equipment. As indicated by some logical premise there is practically 25% expansion in yield comparative with monocropping.
• There is a decrease in needing artificial composts, which can, in any case, be costly.
• Decrease contamination of vermin and sickness as most harvest will, in general, be assaulted by various irritation/ailment.
• There is high yield and high efficiency if they are managed well.
• Serious cultivation is conceivable.
• It decreases the probability of absolute harvest disappointment, as you can have the option to result in other multiple croppings.

Disadvantages of mixed cropping

• The level of production is decreased as compared to monoculture.
• optimal harvest date and growth rate might differ.
• inappropriate due to climatic condition.
• animals can be hazardous if they are not properly tethered.
• needs more elevated level of the board and prepared work which is consistently costly.
• needs of trained labour and a higher level of management are required which is always been expensive.
• The following procedures might be more difficult they are makes controlling, monitoring and maintenance.
• There is a lot of competition among farming agents for agricultural resources.

Advantages of intercropping

• Intercropping gives higher yield income per unit area than mono-cropping.
• It behaves as prevention against the failure of crops in an abnormal year.
• It helps in maintaining the fertility of the soil as the nutrient uptake is made from both the layers of soil.
• It results in the Reduction of soil runoff and controls weeds.
• It assists with keeping away from between crop competition and along these lines, a higher number of yield plants are developed per unit region.
• Intercropping provides shade and supports other crops.
• Intercropping system utilizes resources efficiently and their productivity is increased.
• Intercropping mixed with cash crops can yield a high profit to the farmer.
• It helps to avoid inter-crop competition and thus a higher number of crop plants are grown per unit area.
• This is far better than Mono cropping

Disadvantages of intercropping

• Intercrops acts like a substitute again some harmful fertilizers and pesticides.
• The differential in maturity and sometimes harvesting may be a great problem in intercropping.
• Probability of issues in doing intercultural tasks.
• Trouble in motorization.
• There may emerge an opposition among the segment crops.
• It becomes a great difficulty to control various diseases and diseases that might spoil the quality of the crops.
• It is a labour-intensive practice of forming.
• Intercropping can cause Allelopathic effect.

Conclusion

The main difference between the mixed cropping and the intercropping is that the main difference between the mixed cropping and intercropping is that the in mixed cropping the seeds are well mixed together before sowing, whereas in intercropping the seeds are not mixed before sowing. So makes the best use of the available resource with the best way of preventing the damage caused by artificial fertilizers by opting to the natural way cultivating the crops.