Lecture 4.

Efficient cropping system and their

evaluation

Indices for evaluation of cropping system

It is grouped under 4 major categories

1. Indices based on Land Use Efficiency
2. Indices based on Biological Potential.
3. Indices based on Economic Viability.
4. Indices based on Energetic Approach.

Indices based on Land Use Efficiency

1. Multiple Cropping Index (MCI)

Proposed by Dalrymple (1971). It is cropping intensity index. It measures
sum of area planted to different crops harvested in single year divided by total
cultivable area x 100.

MCI= --------------- x 100

A

i = 1, 2, 3 Crops ……..n.
n = Total No. of crops
a.i = Area occupied by ith crop planted and harvested with in one year.
A = Total cultivated land available.

Model: Farm Size : 2.5 ha

F.No. 1. 1.00 Rice –Rice – Cotton
2. 0.75 Sugarcane
3. 0.75 Fallow – Rice – Cotton

Total area = 5.25 x 100

2.5
= 210%
This is highly useful only for multiple cropping

2. The Cultivated Land Utilization Index (CLUI)

Proposed by Chuang (1973).

Summing the products of land area planted to each crop, multiplied by actual
duration in days of that crop divided by total cultivated area time framed in 365 days.
n
ad
i=1
CLUI = ---------- x 100
A x 365
 i = 1, 2, 3 crops ...........n.
n = Total no. of crops
a = Area occupied by ith crop.
d = Days that ith crop occupied ai.
A = Total cultivated land area available during 365
days period.

Model: Farm Size: 2.5 ha

Crop Area/ ha Duration / days a.d.

Rice 1.00 100 100

Rice 1.75 120 210
Cotton 1.75 140 245
Sugarcane 0.75 365 275
830

830
-------------- x 100 = 90%
2.5 x 365
If less than 100% it indicates that some area is left fallow.

Limitation

· Useful for relay cropping.

· It takes only the land available with farmer.

3. Crop Intensity Index (CII)

Proposed by Menegay et al. (1978)

It is calculated by summing the product of each crops land area multiplied by

that crops duration in the filed divided by the product of the farm operations total
available cultivated area multiplied by time period being studied plus the sum of
products for temporality by available land area, multiplied by time that these land
areas are actually available. Efficient cropping zone is judged by CII and LER

Nc
 ai ti
x=1
CII= ------------
M
AoT +  AjTj
j=1
 i = 1,2,3 Crops
Nc = Total no. of crops grown by the farmer during time
period T.
ai = Area occupied by ith crop
ti = Duration of ith crop (months)
T = Time period under study (12 months)
Ao = Farm operators total cultivated area available for use
for the entire time period T.
M = Total no. of fields temporarily available for this farmer
for cropping during T.
J = 1,2,3 crops
Aj = Area of jth field
Tj = Time period when j field is available.

Model:
Area : 1.5 ha. Time - 12 months
AoT = 1.5 x 12 = 18 ha month
Temporarily available : 1.5 ha
0.5 ha x 4 months = 2.0
0.3 ha x 5 months = 1.5
0.7 ha x 6 months = 4.2

7.7

Temporarily available
1.5 ha Permanent field
0.75 ha = Sugarcane 0.75 x 12 = 9.00
months
0.75 ha = Rice = 0.75 x 3.5 = 2.625
months
Cotton = 0.75 x 5.0 = 3.750
months
S.D. Veget. = 0.75 x 3.0 = 2.250
months
17.625
Temporarily available
0.5 - Rice = 0.5 x 3.5 months = 1.75
0.3 - Vegetable = 0.3 x 4.0 months = 1.20
0.7 - Cotton = 0.7 x 5.0 months = 3.50
6.45
 24.075 = 24.075 = 0.94
18 + 7.7 25.7
CII = 0.94

4. Specific Crop Intensity Index (SCII)

This determines the amount of area time devoted to each crop or group of
crop compared to total area and time available with farmer to crop production during
the time period under study;

Nk
 ak tk
n=1
SCII = ---------------
M
Aot +  AjTj
j=1

K = 1,2,3 .........
Nk = Total no.ofcrops with in a specific designation such as
vegetable crop, rice, etc., grown by the farmer during
time period t.
Ak = area occupied by kth crop
Tk = duration of kth crop (months)
Vegetable :
0.75 x 3 months = 2.25
0.30 x 4 months = 1.20
3.45
Rice = 2.625
1.750
4.375
Vegetable = 3.45 = 0.13
25.7
Rice = 0.17
Cotton = 0.28
Sugarcane = 0.35

5. Relative Crop Intensity Index: (RCII)

It determines amount of area and time allocated to one crop or group of crops
related to area and time actually used in the production of all crops.
 Nk
 ak tk
k=1
RCII = --------------------
Nc
 ai ti
i=1
AoT = 24.075
Vegetable = 3.45 = 0.14
------------
24.075
Rice = 4.375 = 0.18
------------
24.075
Cotton = = 0.30
Sugarcane = = 0.37
0.99

6. Area time equivalency ratio : (ATER) for group of

7. Crop combination index (CC) farmers or district
8. Relative yield index (RYI)

Indices Based on Biological potential

a) Production efficiency indices: b) Interference indices:

A. Production efficiency indices

1) Crop Equivalent Yield (CEY)

To convent the yield of different crops to one unit.
For example to work out Wheat Equivalent Yield
N
Yi ei
i=1
Yi - economic yield of ith crop
ei - wheat equivalent fact or of ith crop
ei can be calculated by Pi
Pw
 Pi - Price / unit weight of ith crop
Pw - Price / unit weight of wheat

Eg. Cropping System

Sorghum + Redgram

Yield (kg/ha) Price (Rs./ha)

Sorghum 2000 6
Redgram 600 25

Sorghum equivalent yield = 600 x 25

6
= 2500 kg/ha

Example: Yield and cotton equivalent yield of crops in different sequential cropping systems

Cotton equivalent yield

Grain yield (kg/ha)
(kg/ha)
Crop sequence
Tota
K R S Total K R S l

Cotton -Finger millet-

1903 2833 2460 7196 1903 708 738 3349
Sorghum

Beetroot - Green gram -

9937 1035 5626 16598 2484 1035 1969 5488
Maize

Cowpea - Gingelly - Maize 962 762 5246 6970 481 1524 1836 3841

Cotton – S.culeate -
1656 12054 1633 15343 1656 301 1388 3345
Sunflower

Produce market Prices (Rs./kg)

Cotton : Rs. 20 Finger millet : Rs. 5 Sorghum : Rs. 6 Beetroot : Rs. 5
Green gram :Rs. 20 Maize : Rs. 7 Cowpea : Rs. 10 Gingelly : Rs.40
S.aculeate : Rs. 0.50Sunflower : Rs. 17

One other form of single measurement comparison which is exactly equivalent to the
financial value index, is the crop equivalent.
In calculating a crop equivalent, yield of one crop is converted into yield equivalent of
the other crop by using the ratio of prices of the two crops.
Indices based on Biological potential are categorized into production efficiency index
and Interference indices.

2. Relative Yield Total (RYT)

Yield advantage is measured not only based on unit area but also on unit
population (Replacement series)

RYT = Yab + Y ba
Yaa + Y bb
 Yaa, Ybb : Yield of components a & b in cropping
Yab : Yield of a in intercropping with b considering its
normal density
Yba : Yield of b in intercropping with a considering its
normal density.

RYT = 600 + 2000 = 2600 = 0.73

1050 + 2500 3550
When LER is compared with uniform overall plant density of sole and
intercrop, then it becomes RYT.

3. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER): Mead and Willey (1980)

LER = Yield of intercrop + Yield of maincrop
Yield of intercrop Yield of maincrop in
in pure stand Pure stand
Crop Grain Yield LER
(Kg/ha)
Yield of main crop 2000
Yield of intercrop 600 600 + 2000
Yield of main crop in 2500 1050 2500
pure stand = 0.57 + 0.80
Yield of intercrop in 1050 = 1.37
pure stand

B. Interference indices:
1. Relative Crowding Co efficient (Davit, 1960)
Most widely used indices
The actual yield / plant in the mixture win an expected yield which as an
yield that would have been experienced same degree of competition in mixture as
in pure stand limited to replacement series.

It is used in replacement series of intercropping.

It indicates whether a species or a crop, when grown in mixed population, has

produced more or less yield than expected in pure stand.

In 50 : 50 mixture

Kab (RCC) =

Yab = mixture yield of crop ‘a’ grown with ‘b’

Yba = mixture yield of crop ‘b’ grown with ‘a’

 Yaa = Yield in pure stand of crop ‘a’

Ybb = Yield in pure stand of crop ‘b’

Zab = proportion of sown species ‘a’ in mixture with ‘b’

Zba = proportion of sown species ‘b’ in mixture with ‘a’

For all mixture

Kab =

K>1 Means yield advantage (more yield than expected)

K= 1 No difference

K< 1 Yield disadvantage (less yield than expected)

Crowding coefficient and LER give the yield advantage but only LER given the
magnitude of advantage. Therefore LER is preferred to assess the competition effects and
yield advantage in intercropping situations.

Cropping System Yield kg/ha

Sorghum cowpea
Sole
sorghum 3127 -
Sole cowpea - 756
Sorghum + Cowpea (70:30) 2234 247
2234 x 30
(3127 – 2234) x 70

= 891 x 0.43
= 1.08
RCC < 1 : Less yield than expected / there is no advantage
RCC = 1 : Same yield than expected / yield advantage
RCC > 1 : More yield than expected / yield advantage due to intercrop

2. Aggressivity Index (AI)

Proposed by Mc Gihrist (1965). It is the mixture of how much the relative yield
increase in component ‘a’ is greater than that for component ‘b’.

Kab =

Aab =

Aab = 0 means component crops are equally competitive

 Aab = negative means dominated

Aab = bigger value either positive or negative means bigger difference in

competitive abilities.
3. Competition Index (CI) : Donald (1963).
It is a measure to find out the yield of various crops when grown together as well as
separately. It indicates the yield per plant of different crops in mixture and their respective
pure stand on an unit area basis.
If the yield of any crop, grown together is less than its respective yield in pure stand
then it is harmful association but on increased yield means positive benefit.

CI =

4. Competition Ratio (CR)

Proposed by Willey and Rao (1980)

Cra =

It is simply the ratio of individual LERs of the two component crops, but correcting
for the proportion in which they were initially sown.

5. Competition Coefficient (CC)

Ratio of the Relative crowding coefficient (RCC) of any given species in the mixture.

CC =

It is used to find out the relative crowding from which maximum yield can be
obtained without any adverse effect on any of the species.

Indices based on Economic Viability

Monetary advantage based on LER

Value of combined intercrop yield x LER – 1

LER
Crop Yield Price Value

1. Sole groundnut 1185 8.0 9480

2. Intercrop groundnut 840 8.0 6720
3. Sole millet 2276 2.0 4552
4 Intercrop millet 1227 2.0 2454

Monetary advantage = 9174 x 0.26 = 18930

1.26
Monetary input / output relationships; (MR)

1. Gross return:
The total monetary returns of the economic produce such as grain, tuber, bulb, fruit,
etc and by products viz., straw, fodder, fuel, etc obtained from the crops included in the
system are calculated based on the local market prices. The total return is expresses in
terms of unit area, usually one hectare.
2. Net return or net profit:
Worked out by subtracting the total cost of cultivation from the gross returns. This
value gives the actual profit obtained by the farmer. In this type of calculation only the
variable costs are considered
3. Returns / rupee invested:
Also called as benefit cost ratio or input output ratio.
Return per rupee invested =
4. Per day return:
Also called as income per day and can be obtained by dividing the net
returns by number of cropping period (days)

Per day return =