State any disadvantage of multiple cropping
Answers
Sometimes pests and diseases may get more favorable environment to flourish thus damaging and deteriorating crop yields. The presence of crops in the field throughout the year allows crop pests to survive more easily. Some pests can shift from one crop to another. For example aphids can move to cotton plants during the dry season.
The large number of different crops in the field makes it difficult to weed and spacing to get optimum plant population is not easy.
New technologies such as modern weeding tools and improved varieties may be difficult to be introduced. Also, it is not easy to carryout operations such as spraying.
Sometimes, it wastes fertilizers that have to be given even to those crops in the mixture which are less profitable.
Multiple cropping also makes mechanization almost impossible after planting and during harvesting for example the use of tractors and combine harvesters respectively.