What is the difference between mixed cropping and crop rotation??
Answers
.The growing of different kinds of crops on a piece of land in a preplanned succession is known ascrop rotation.
In the rotation of crops, leguminous crops like pulses, beans, peas, groundnut and Bengal gram are sown in-between the seasons of cereal crops like wheat, maize and pearl millet.
The leguminous plants are grown alternately with non-leguminous plants to restore the fertility of the soil.
Planting a leguminous plant will result in nitrogen-rich soil and when a cereal is grown in this soil there is increase in food grain production.
Rotation of crops help in weed control and pest control.
Some successful crop rotation practices are:
Maize + mustard , Rice + wheat etc
. Mixed cropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
It is also known as multiple cropping. This type of cropping leads to an improvement in the fertility of the soil and hence, increase in crop yield because when the two crops are properly chosen the products and refuse from one crop plant help in the growth of the other crop plant and vice-versa.
Mixed cropping is an insurance against crop failure due to abnormal weather conditions.
Some successful mixed cropping practices are:
1.Soyabean + Pigeon pea
2.Maize + udad dal (Black gram)
3.Pigeon pea + Mung dal (Green gram)
4.Groundnut + Sunflower
5.Sorghum + Pigeon pea
6.Wheat + Chickpea
7.Barley + Chickpea
8.Wheat + Mustard
9.Cotton + Groundnut
CROP ROTATION
★ crop rotation is the practice of growing different kinds of Crop during different season.
MIXED CROPPING
★ mixed cropping is a farming practice in which two or more kinds of plants are planted at the same time in the same field.