Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.

Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

Lecture-4
Cropping system-concept, definition and benefits, Cropping Pattern,
Cropping intensity and Crop rotation

The agriculture sector employs nearly half of the workforce in the country. However, it
contributes to 17.5% of the GDP at current prices. Over the past few decades, the manufacturing
and services sectors have increasingly contributed to the growth of the economy, while the
agriculture sector’s contribution has decreased from more than 50% of GDP in the 1950s to
15.4% (at constant prices). As per the Land Use Statistics of India (2018-19),
 The total geographical area of the country is 328.7 million hectares, of which
 139.3 million hectares is the reported net sown area and
 197.3 million hectares is the gross cropped area
 Cropping intensity of 141.6%.
 The net area sown works out to be 42.4% of the total geographical area.
 The net irrigated area is 71.6 million hectares.
 About 56 % of the total cultivated area in India falls under rainfed agriculture.
 Nearly 54.6 of the total workforce is engaged in agriculture and allied sector
activities.
Chhattisgarh: Out of the total geographical area of 13519 thousand hectare, the net sown area
and total cropped area is 4679 thousand hectare and 5614 thousand hectare, respectively. The
cropping intensity is 120 %.
The food grain production including cereal and pulses increased from 52.56 (1950-51) to
a record estimated level of 315.72 million tons (2031-22). However, as per the estimates of
ICAR, demand for food grains would increase to 345 million tones by 2030. In spite of having
all types of weather conditions, soil types to grow a variety of crops, the average productivity of
many crops in India is quite low. The country’s population’s in the next decade is expected to
become the largest in the world and providing food for them will be a very prime issue. Majority
of farmers are still facing problems of poor production and poor returns. The adoption of
multiple cropping system and increasing the cropping intensity in irrigated as well as the rainfed
regions of the country is only the way to sustain the food security in the country and ensures the
economic returns to the farming community.
Growing number of crops on the same piece of land during the given period of time is
termed as intensive cropping. The turnaround period between one crop and another is
minimized through modified land preparation. It is possible when the resources are available in
plenty. Example irrigated farming. The cropping intensity is higher in intensive cropping system.
Crop intensification technique includes intercropping, relay cropping, sequential cropping,
ratoon cropping, etc. All sub systems come under the general term of multiple cropping.
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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

Need for Intensive cropping

Cropping systems has to be evolved based on climate, soil and water availability for
efficient use of available natural resources. The increase in population has put pressure on land to
increase productivity per unit area per unit time in available resources. The cropping system
should provide enough food for the family, fodder for cattle and generate sufficient cash income
for domestic and cultivation expenses.
Cropping System: Concept and definition
Traditionally, increased food production has come from putting more land under
cultivation. However, in large areas of the world, especially in Asia, all the land that can be
economically cultivated is already in use. Therefore, in future, most of the extra food and feed
needs must come from higher production from land already being cultivated. A major share of
this increase is likely to come from increasing the number of crops produced per year on a given
land using improved crop cultivars. Such multiple cropping offers potential not only to increase
food production but also decrease land degradation.
 A system is defined as a set of components that are interrelated and interact among
themselves. A cropping system refers to a set of crop systems, making up the cropping
activities of a farm system.
 The cropping system comprises all components required for the production of a particular
crop and the interrelationships between them and environment.
 In other words, a cropping system usually refers to a combination of crops in time and
space. The combination in time occurs when crops occupy different growing period and
combination in space occur when crops are inter planted. When annual crops are
considered, a cropping system usually means the combination of crops within a given
year.
 Cropping system is a land use unit that transforms plant material and soil nutrients into
useful biomass. Cropping system components are the crop system (crops, weeds,
pathogens, insects) and land. Apart from land, solar energy, water and nutrients are
important resources that are processed inputs into outputs. Moreover, labour and
management is very important inputs of cropping system.
 The term cropping system refers to the crops, crop sequences and the management
techniques used on a particular field over a period of years.
 Cropping system represents cropping pattern used on a farm and their interaction with
other farm enterprises and available technology which determine their makeup. Cropping
system is the most important component of a farming system.
In India, the cropping pattern is decided by the soil types and climatic parameters which
determine overall agro-ecological setting for crop cultivation. There are three distinct crop
seasons in India, namely Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. The Kharif season started with Southwest

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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

Monsoon under which the cultivation of tropical crops such as rice, cotton, jute, jowar, bajra and
tur are cultivated. The Rabi season starts with the onset of winter in October-November and
ends in March-April. Zaid is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after harvesting
of Rabi crops.
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.
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.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. Reduce the infestation of pests and diseases: 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. 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, minimizing the risk 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. With a lower risk for
crop failure, there is a greater reliability on food production and income generation.

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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

Cropping Pattern
The cropping pattern indicates the proportion of area under different crops and fallow on a
given area. In other words, yearly
sequence and spatial arrangement of
crops and fallow on same land over a
same period of time in a given area.
Cropping pattern depends on
climate (temperature, rainfall, wind etc.),
soil, minimum support price, market
demand, labour availability, social setting,
etc. For example rice is cultivated
extensively when the monsoons are good.
But when monsoons are weak, millets are
grown instead of rice. Cotton in
Maharashtra, Tea in Assam, Jute in West Bengal and Rice in Chhattisgarh remain the dominant crops
due to highly favorable conditions for their cultivation.

Differences between Cropping pattern and Cropping system

S.No. Cropping pattern Cropping system
1 Crop rotation practiced by a Cropping pattern and its management to derive
majority of farmers in a given area benefits from a given resource base under specific
or locality. environmental conditions.
2 Type and management of crops in The cropping patterns used on a farm and their
time and space. interaction with farm resources, other farm
enterprises and available technology which
determine their make up.
3 Yearly sequence and spatial Pattern of crops taken up for a given piece of
arrangement of crops or crops and land, or order in which crops are cultivated on a
fallow on a given area. The piece of land over a fixed period, associated with
proportion of area under various soil, management practices such as tillage
crops at a point of time in a unit manuring and irrigation
area
Cropping intensity
Cropping intensity is one of the important aspects that define the level of intensification
in agriculture. Cropping Intensity is a physical quantity that describes the raising of numerous
crops from the same land in a single agricultural year. It is the ratio of total cropped area to net
cultivated area or actual cropped area.
Total cropped area
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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

Cropping Intensity = ------------------------------ x 100

Net cropped area
Example: If a farmer has total 10 ha of land and he cultivated 9 ha of area in kharif season, 5
ha, 5 ha in rabi and 2 ha in summer. Thus, actual cropped area= 16 hectare.
As per the formula, the cropping intensity= 16/10 x 100 =160 %
If all 10 hectares land is used to cultivate rice in kharif and 10 hectares is used to grow wheat in
rabi, then cropping intensity will be = 20/10 x 100 =200 %
If the single crop of rice is taken in kharif and land remained fallow in rabi, then the cropping
intensity will be 100 %.
Rotational Intensity: The rotational or crop rotation intensity is calculated by counting the
number of crops grown in a rotation and is multiplied by 100 and then divided by the duration of
the rotation in year.
Number of crops grown in rotation
Crop rotation Intensity = --------------------------------------------- x 100
Duration of the rotation
Examples: Groundnut-wheat-sugarcane (2 years crop rotation)
Crop rotation intensity = 3/2 x 100 = 150 %
For Rice-chickpea one year rotation, CRI=2/1 x 100= 200 %

Cropping Intensity (CI) of different States of India (2018-19)

States CI % States CI% States CI %
Andaman & Nicobar 277.2 Gujarat 110.9 Odisha 113.0
Islands
Andhra Pradesh 120.4 Haryana 183.4 Punjab 190.6
Arunachal Pradesh 136.7 Himachal Pradesh 168.5 Rajasthan 142.4
Assam 147.8 Jharkhand 142.5 Tamilnadu 123.8
Best Bengal 189.8 Karnataka 127.1 Telangana 123.9
Bihar 143.3 Kerala 126.4 Uttarakhand 158.9
Chhattisgarh 120.0 Madhy Pradesh 171.8 Uttar Pradesh 162.4
Delhi 169.0 Meghalaya 122.5 All India 141.6

Classification based on Cropping intensity

India can be divided into four regions/zones on the basis of the cropping intensity as detailed
below in Table.
Zone Cropping Intensity States
I Very high cropping Punjab, Haryana, Best Bengal
intensity (>175 %)
II High cropping intensity Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, UP,
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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

(150-175%) Uttarakhand

III Moderate cropping intensity Assam, Bihar, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh,

(125-150 %) Karnataka, Kerala

IV Low Cropping intensity Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh,

(<125%) Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and Telangana

Cropping Intensity: Important features

 India's cropping intensity (141.6 %) is low in comparison to the European nations like
the UK, Italy (190%), and Holland (230%). However, it is higher when compared
to Brazil, China, and Argentina.
 India has the highest amount of cultivated land in the world, with about 51% of it being
used for cultivation, 20% forests, 6% for wasteland, and 4-5% for pastures.
 The chance of the overall cultivable area increasing is very small.
 However, there has been a constant rise in the need for both food and industrial crops.
Therefore, increasing cropping intensity is the only way to boost output.
 Cropping intensity is proportional to the amount of modern inputs and technology used.
 In India, the Cropping Intensity is higher in areas/states having assured irrigation, high
crop diversity and modern system of farming. For example, Punjab, Best Bengal,
Haryana.
Ways to Increase Cropping Intensity
In order to increase farmer incomes and meet the growing population, improved
agricultural intensity is crucial. Additionally, the incredible advantages of concentrating on
enhancing agricultural productivity highlight the necessity of giving top priority to measures
that would help farmers to enhance the cropping intensity to the greatest level. The cropping
intensity of the farming land or region can be enhanced by
1.Enhancing the irrigation system: Irrigation increases cropping intensity by allowing crops
to be grown during rabi and summer season as well.
2.Adoption of multiple cropping system-sequential cropping, intercropping, relay cropping.
3.Rainwater harvesting in rainfed areas and supplementary irrigation to rabi crops through
sprinkler and drip irrigation system.
4.Encouraging mechanized farming methods: The use of tractors, seed dril, power tiller,
combine harvestor etc. which can save critical time between raising two crops, allowing for
the sowing of next crop.
5. Availability of fertilizers and certified seeds of high yielding varieties of crops in time at
subsidized rates.
6. Adoption of techniques of conservation agriculture.

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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

7.Market support for inputs and minimum support price for farm produce.
Cropping Scheme
The plan according to which crops are grown on individual plots of a farm with an object of
getting maximum return from cash crop without impairing the fertility of soil is known as
cropping scheme.
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops in regular succession in the same
field. This practice controls insects and diseases, increases soil fertility and decreases soil
erosion.
 Generally, soil cannot sustain continuous cropping with high yielding single crop because
certain nutrients required by the crop get exhausted totally while others remain unutilized
leading to serious nutrients imbalance in soil and encouraging certain diseases and pests.
 Sowing a leguminous crop (e.g. green gram) as a rotational crop is very useful
because legumes enhance nitrogen level in the soil, reduces the need for chemical
nitrogen fertilizer.
Good rotation methods take into account climate, soil conditions, aspects of the crops grown and
other factors that can maintain healthy soils and improve yields. This rotation has a scientific
basis in the fact that one plant releases macro-elements taken by another. In particular, edible
roots provide potassium necessary to legumes, so when you schedule legumes after roots, you
eliminate potassium inputs. In their turn, legumes fix nitrogen from the air to the soil as fertilizer
for plants.
Principles of crop rotation
1. Leguminous crops should be grown before non-leguminous crops because legumes fix
atmospheric N into the soil and add organic matter to the soil.
2. Crops with tap roots (deep rooted like cotton) should be followed by those which have
fibrous (shallow rooted crops like sorghum or maize) root system. This facilitates proper
and uniform use of nutrients from the soil.
3. More exhaustive crops should be followed by less exhaustive crops because crops like
potato, sugarcane, maize etc. need more inputs such as better tillage, more fertilizers,
greater number of irrigation etc.
4. Selection of crop should be based on need or demand.
5. Crops of same family should not be grown in succession because they act as alternate
hosts for insect pests and diseases.
6. The crop selected should also suit to the soil and climatic condition.
7. Selection of crops should be based on the situations such as
(a)On sloppy lands, alternate cropping of erosion permitting and erosion resisting crops
should be adopted.

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 Class Notes on Agro-5222 (Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture) for B.Sc.
Ag.(Hons.) Students by Dr.G.S.Tomar, Professor (Agronomy),CARS, Mahasamund (C.G.)

(b)Under rain fed situations crops which can tolerate drought should be selected
(c)In low-lying and flood prone areas crops which can tolerate water stagnation should be
selected.
(d)In areas where salt affected soils are there, salt tolerant varieties should be grown
8. An ideal crop rotation must provide maximum employment to the farm family and
labour, permits farm mechanization to ensure timely operations besides maintaining soil
health.
Advantages of an ideal crop rotation

(i) The soil fertility is restored by fixing atmospheric N encouraging microbial

activity and maintaining physico-chemical properties of the soil.
(ii) Alternate cropping with other crops helps in controlling crop bound weeds.
(iii) Proper utilization of all resources and inputs could be made by following crop
rotation.
(iv) The farmer gets a better price for his produce because of its higher demands in the
market.
(v) Best utilization of residual moisture, fertilizer and organic residues is made by
growing crops of different nature.
(vi) The family needs of feed, food, fuel, fiber, spices; condiments, sugar etc are
fulfilled.

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