Cropping is a term that refers to harvesting a crop. The choice of crops is the central focus of any type of cropping. There are numerous cropping systems such as Parallel Cropping, Ratoon Cropping, Alley Cropping, etc which all try to increase crop yield and productivity. A farmer must consider a crop's profitability, ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, resistance to disease, and need for specific technologies during growth or harvesting when deciding whether to plant it. This article will explain to you about Cropping which will be helpful in preparing the Agriculture Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

What is Cropping Intensity?

• Cropping Intensity is a physical quantity that describes the raising of numerous crops from the same land in a single agricultural year.
• Cropping Intensity is calculated as the ratio of Gross Area Sown to Net Area Sown.
• Gross Cropped Area: This is the total area that has been sown once, twice or more during a given year; the area is counted as many times as there are sowings during that year. This total area is sometimes referred to as the total cultivated area or the whole area that has been sown.
• Net Sown Area: This is the total area planted with orchards and crops. The area that is sown more than once in a single year is only counted once.
• Compared to the 11% global average, 51% of India's land area is already under cultivation.
• Since independence, the current cropping intensity, which is 136%, has only increased by 25%. Furthermore, 65% of the total net planted area consists of rainfed drylands.

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What is a Cropping System?

• The Cropping system can be defined as the type and sequence of crops cultivated over time on a specific area of soil.
• It could involve cultivating a single crop on the same land each year or rotating different crops in a regular pattern.
• Since it is location-specific, it alters as place and environment change. Any cropping system seeks to maximize return on investment by making effective use of all available resources, including solar energy, water, and land.
• The fundamental building blocks of any cropping system are management strategies, planting geometry, and seed genetics.

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Types of Cropping Systems

Multiple Cropping

• Growing two or more crops at once on the same piece of land is referred to as multiple cropping.
• Multiple Cropping, for instance, is when wheat and gram are grown simultaneously on the same piece of land.
• In the Global South, these multiple cropping techniques are widely practiced. This covers areas like Latin America, Africa, Asia, etc.
• This is a widespread practice in these areas, particularly on small farms where they are grown to produce food for households with little means.
• With the use of this cropping technique, farmers can increase crop output and income by double.

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Double Cropping

• Double cropping refers to the practice of farmers who, within the same year, plant and harvest two crops on the same land one after another.
• It enables farmers to maximize the limited planting season. Planting winter wheat and a row of double-cropping soybeans is the best example of this method.
• After winter wheat, farmers can boost their net returns by double planting soybean.
• Without the need to farm more land, the returns are increased.
• Double cropping is mostly prevalent in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest areas when measured as shares of each region's total cropland.

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Triple Cropping

• Triple Cropping is the practice of growing three different crops one after the other on the same land in a single year.
• Triple cropping is used for two main reasons. One is to squeeze as much feed as possible out of a given piece of land.
• The other is to apply the greatest possible amount of nitrogen or other crop nutrients to a given plot of land.
• Although there are risks involved, many local dairy farmers have come to the realization that triple cropping or early planting of winter farms is important on some or all of their acres in order to properly utilize applied nitrogen in the fall.

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Quadruple Cropping

• The term "quadruple cropping" refers to a multiple cropping method in which four crops are produced consecutively on the same piece of land over the course of a year.
• For instance, G.nut-Coriander Soybean-Methi-Wheat-Green gram, wheat-green gram, etc.
• Quadruple Cropping is gaining popularity among farmers as it is more profitable than conventional cropping patterns.
• This method reduces the likelihood that one of the crops will fail and provides protection against crop failure brought on by unpredictable weather conditions.

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Monoculture

• The practice of growing only one kind of crop at a time on a particular field is known as monoculture farming.
• Monoculture has been applied to both industrial and organic farming, enhancing planting and harvesting efficiency and bringing down costs for farmers.
• One excellent example is cultivating only beans or maize for the duration of the planting season. However, it also raises the possibility of contracting infections and pests.
• In terms of modern agriculture, monoculture promotes crop specialization because it includes producing just one crop on most or all of the available land.

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Mono Cropping

• Monocropping is the agricultural technique of producing a single crop year after year on the same ground without rotating through other crops or growing many crops on the same land, which is known as polyculture.
• Three widely produced crops that are frequently grown using monocropping methods include corn, soybeans, and wheat.
• Monocropping proponents assert that it is a more profitable farming method than changing crops every year.
• While this might be true in the near future, monocropping can have catastrophic impacts on the environment.

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Sole Cropping

• The term "sole cropping" describes the practice of planting a single crop variety in a pure stand at a typical density.
• Farmers can have uniform harvests over their entire farm due to sole cropping.
• They can boost farm profitability by only planting the most lucrative crops and using the same seed, machinery, pest control, and growth techniques across their entire farm.

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Sequential Cropping

• Sequential cropping is growing two or more crops in succession on the same field each year.
• After the previous crop has been harvested, the subsequent crop is planted.
• For instance, planting maize during the prolonged rains and beans during the shorter rainy season.
• Some regions have wet seasons that are long enough to support the growth of two crops, either two major crops or one main crop and a cover crop.
• Growing two crops might also be feasible if there are two rainy seasons or if the land still has adequate moisture to support two crops.
• Only the spatial dimension is used for crop intensification. There isn't any intercrop competition. One crop at a time is managed by farmers in the field.

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Relay Cropping

• Relay cropping involves planting a second crop before the previous one has even been harvested. Therefore, both crops share a portion of the growing season.
• Planting rice (or wheat), cauliflower, onions, and summer gourds (or potato onions, lady's fingers, and maize) all at the same time are examples of relay farming.
• Relay planting has less risk because it does not require relying just on one crop.
• Insects will spread less, the distribution of labour will be improved, and legumes will really add nitrogen to the soil.

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Ratoon Cropping

• Ratoon cropping is a method of farming in which the remnants of one crop that has previously been harvested are used to cultivate a second crop.
• As new plants emerge from the harvested crop's stubble, the practice is also known as "stubble cropping."
• As production and quality decline after each cycle, ratooning cannot be employed indefinitely.
• For instance, it is possible for sugarcane to have two or three ratooning crops before new planting is required.

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Intercropping

• Intercropping is a method of increasing agricultural productivity by planting two or more crops simultaneously on a specific plot of land in a specific row pattern.
• Small farmers who depend on rain for higher production are more likely to use it.
• This procedure has a specific row pattern, such as 1:1 or 1:2, which means that the primary crop is in the first row and the other crops are in the second or third row.
• These crops are blended in this technique despite having different nutrient needs. It guarantees the best possible use of the nutrients given.
• Additionally, it stops pests and diseases from spreading to every plant involved in a particular crop.

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Mixed Cropping

• Mixed cropping is a cropping technique in which two or more plants or crops are grown on the same plot of land or farm at the same time.
• Plant seeds are mixed before being sown. This technique is used to reduce the risk of total crop failure due to adverse weather conditions or a lack of rainfall.
• One crop may be the primary crop, while the others may be subsidiaries. Planting multiple crops at the same time is thought to save space in general because different crops in the same field ripen at different times.
• Furthermore, this technique helps restore soil fertility by allowing the remains of one plant to aid the growth of another, increasing overall yield.
• Crops for mixed cropping are chosen based on their water and nutrient requirements, as well as the time required to grow and ripen.
• Wheat and mustard, groundnut and sunflower, and other crop combinations are commonly used in mixed cropping.

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Major Cropping Seasons in India

Kharif

• Kharif crops are planted in various parts of the country as the monsoon season begins, and they are harvested in September and October.
• Paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, and soybeans are among the important crops grown during this season.
• Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast), as well as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, are among the most important rice-growing regions.
• Paddy has recently emerged as an important crop in Punjab and Haryana.
• Paddy is grown three times a year in states like Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha. These are Aus, Aman, and Boro.

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Rabi

• Rabi crops are planted in the winter from October to December and harvested in the summer from April to June.
• Wheat, barley, peas, gram, and mustard are some of the most important rabi crops.
• Though these crops are grown throughout India, states in the north and northwestern parts of the country, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, are important for the production of wheat and other rabi crops.
• The availability of precipitation during the winter months due to western temperate cyclones aids in the success of these crops.
• However, the success of the green revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan has also played an important role in the growth of the aforementioned rabi crops.

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Zaid

• During the summer months between the Rabi and Kharif seasons, there is a short season known as the Zaid season.
• Watermelon, muskmelon, and cucumber are among the crops grown during 'Zaid.'
• It is the summer cropping season when crops are grown primarily under artificial irrigation for a short period of time.
• Crops are planted at the start of the summer season (February - March) and harvested in April - June.

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Factors Determining Cropping Pattern

Physical Factors

• Soil: The components of soil and the climatic influence of a region determine the type of crop that would be grown using a specific type of soil.
• Climate: The dry regions, where rainfall is scarce and monsoons are unpredictable, rely on jowar and bajra. Rice is grown in flood-prone areas.
• Cropping patterns are also influenced by irrigation facilities. Wherever water is available, not only can a different crop be grown, but also double or triple cropping.

Technical Factors

• Cropping patterns are also affected by technical factors such as the nature and capacity of irrigation facilities available in a region, the availability of improved seeds and chemical fertiliser, and so on.
• The traditional method of cultivation is bound to change as irrigation facilities develop. This allows for a new and improved crop rotation system to be used, as well as the cultivation of new and superior crops.
• Sugarcane, tobacco, oilseeds, and other crops have increased significantly in India as irrigation facilities have been expanded.

Economic Factors

• Price fluctuations have a significant impact on acreage shifts. Variation in inter-crop prices caused acreage to shift between crops.
• There is a connection between farm size and cropping pattern. Small farmers are initially interested in producing food grain to meet their own needs. As a result, smallholders devote less land to cash crops than largeholders.
• The need to reduce crop failure risk explains not only diversification but also some specific features of crop patterns.
• Seeds, fertilisers, water storage, marketing, transportation, and other factors all have an impact on cropping patterns.

Government Policies

• The government has the ability to influence cropping patterns through legislative and administrative measures.
• Food Crops Acts, Land Use Acts, intensive paddy schemes, cotton and oilseed schemes, and subsidies all have an impact on cropping patterns.
• Subsidies on farm inputs such as seeds and fertilisers have resulted in record food grain production.

Price and Income Aspect

• The movement of agricultural product prices is related to changes in cropping patterns.
• A remunerative and consistent price for a particular crop provides a better incentive for the producer to produce that crop, whereas an unremunerative price induces the farmer to change the cropping pattern.
• In India, fixed procurement prices for wheat and rice, as well as other government controls, induced farmers to shift to cash crops such as sugarcane.

Size of Farm

• There is also a positive relationship between farm size and cropping pattern.
• Farmers on a small farm are eager to produce food grains for household consumption.
• Small farmers may choose cash crops after meeting their own food needs in order to maximise their monetary income.
• Farmers on large farms, on the other hand, prefer to follow cropping patterns that maximise their income.

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Conclusion

Cropping systems are important not only for optimizing crop production but also for improving soil health by balancing soil biodiversity, increasing soil nutrient use efficiency, and decreasing soil-borne pathogens. Above all, a specific range of soil moisture content must be maintained throughout the cropping season in order to sustain good plant development. From crop to crop, the acceptable moisture range varies. Fine-textured supplements and irrigation can increase soil moisture, but technologies like tile drainage and coarser-textured additives can decrease it.

FAQs

MCQs

1. Which of the following is a key benefit of crop rotation in agriculture?

A) Increased water consumption

B) Enhanced soil fertility

C) Reduced crop diversity

D) Limited pest control

2. Which of the following cropping patterns is typically practiced during the monsoon season in India?

A) Rabi

B) Kharif

C) Zaidi

D) Mixed cropping

3. What is the main purpose of intercropping in agriculture?

A) Reducing the use of fertilizers

B) Increasing crop variety

C) Maximizing land productivity

D) Reducing water usage

4. Which of the following is a characteristic of the Rabi cropping season?

A) It occurs during the monsoon season

B) It is the winter cropping season

C) It is suitable for rice cultivation

D) It occurs in the summer months

5. What is the primary advantage of adopting a mixed cropping system?

A) It ensures high returns from a single crop

B) It reduces risks by diversifying crop production

C) It requires minimal investment in inputs

D) It enhances pest resistance

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the role of cropping patterns in ensuring sustainable agriculture in India.

Answer: Cropping patterns play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by optimizing land use, conserving soil fertility, and enhancing biodiversity. Practices such as crop rotation, intercropping, and mixed cropping help maintain ecological balance and ensure long-term agricultural productivity. For instance, crop rotation reduces soil nutrient depletion, while intercropping enhances resource use efficiency. Sustainable cropping patterns reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, thus promoting organic farming practices. Furthermore, by adapting cropping systems to local climatic conditions, farmers can mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as erratic rainfall patterns, and improve food security.

Q2: Analyze the impact of climate change on cropping patterns in India.

Answer: Climate change significantly affects cropping patterns in India by altering rainfall patterns, temperature, and water availability. Changes in the timing and intensity of monsoons affect the Kharif cropping season, leading to crop failures and reduced yields. Increased temperatures and irregular rainfall patterns also influence the Rabi season, making crops like wheat and mustard more susceptible to heat stress and water shortages. To adapt, farmers are shifting towards drought-resistant and heat-tolerant crops. There is also an increased focus on efficient water management practices, such as drip irrigation, and adopting climate-resilient cropping systems like agroforestry and organic farming to reduce climate-related risks and enhance food security.

Q3: Evaluate the importance of crop diversification for enhancing food security in India.

Answer: Crop diversification is essential for enhancing food security in India by reducing dependency on a single crop, thereby mitigating the risks of crop failure due to pests, diseases, or weather conditions. Diversification ensures a stable supply of food throughout the year, as different crops are harvested in different seasons. Additionally, it helps in the efficient use of land and resources, thereby improving farm income and sustainability. The Government of India has promoted crop diversification through various schemes, encouraging farmers to grow pulses, oilseeds, and fruits alongside traditional cereals like rice and wheat. This reduces pressure on monocropping systems and strengthens the resilience of the agricultural sector to global climate change challenges.

Previous Year Questions on  Cropping

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2020 (Set A):

Question: Which of the following is the most common cropping system practiced in India?

A) Monocropping
B) Mixed cropping
C) Agroforestry
D) Crop rotation

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Mixed cropping is the most common system practiced in India, especially in areas with uncertain rainfall. By growing multiple crops together, farmers reduce risks and improve yield stability.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2021 (GS Paper 3):

Question: Explain how crop rotation can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of monocropping in Indian agriculture.

Answer: Crop rotation mitigates the adverse effects of monocropping by replenishing soil nutrients, reducing pest infestations, and preventing soil degradation. In India, where monocropping has led to soil nutrient depletion and increased pest resistance, crop rotation ensures that different crops with distinct nutrient requirements are alternated. This improves soil structure and fertility, making farming more sustainable. Additionally, rotating crops with varying root structures and growth patterns enhances soil health, reducing the dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.