What is Intercropping?
The term “intercropping” refers to the practice of simultaneously cultivating two or more crops nearby on the same plot of land using particular row patterns. Intercropping is preferred over other cropping patterns as it makes better use of the available resources and produces a higher yield than mono-cropping. The main objective of intercropping is to increase the yield on a particular plot of land by utilizing resources or biological processes that may not be used by a single crop alone. Often, small farmers that rely solely on rainwater for increased output and have no other choices, such as canals and tube wells, use this practice. Intercropping improves soil fertility, minimizes soil erosion, provides nutrients for nearby plants, and controls weeds and other pests. Among the crops produced as intercrops are bajra, soybeans, and maize.
Difference Between Mixed Cropping and Intercropping
A plant is considered to be a crop that is widely gathered for financial gain and is farmed or grown on a big and small scale. Moreover, crops are raised to be traded on the open market. A cropping pattern is the percentage of land that is being cultivated for different crops at various times. Cropping pattern is a dynamic idea that varies throughout time and space. Cropping patterns vary from one area to another. It is influenced by the soils, the quantity and frequency of rain, the amount and slope of the terrain, the topography, the slope, the temperature, and the availability of irrigation water. Cropping systems are of three types:
- Monocropping: Monocropping is the practice of producing only one type of crop at a time on a specific plot of land.
- Mixed cropping: Mixed cropping can be defined as the practice of growing two or more crops on the same piece of land at the same time.
- Intercropping: It refers to the practice of simultaneously cultivating two or more crops nearby on the same plot of land using particular row patterns.