Cropping Patterns in Agriculture: Types, Systems & Examples

Cropping patterns define the yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops on a piece of land — the core decision every farmer makes to balance yield, soil health, and income. With field preparation and plant stand established (previous lesson), the next decision is what to grow, when, and in what combination.

Why Cropping Systems Matter

A rice-wheat farmer in Punjab grows two crops a year on the same plot, while a dryland farmer in Rajasthan may grow only pearl millet with an intercrop of moth bean. Both are following a cropping system — the planned sequence and combination of crops on a given piece of land. Choosing the right system determines not just yield, but also soil health, income stability, and food security for millions.

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Farming System

Before diving into cropping systems specifically, it helps to understand the broader concept of a farming system — the integrated whole that cropping is part of.

A farming system is a complex, inter-related matrix of soil, plants, animals, implements, labour, capital, and other inputs managed by the farm family. It represents the holistic integration of crop production with enterprises like dairying, fisheries, poultry, sericulture, and agroforestry for optimal resource utilisation.

Principles of Farming System

1. Risk minimisation through diversification
2. Use of end products from one enterprise as input in another (e.g., cattle dung for biogas and manure)
3. Recycling of wastes and residues
4. Integration of two or more enterprises
5. Optimum utilisation of all resources
6. Maximum productivity and profitability
7. Ecological balance
8. Employment generation
9. Increased input-use efficiency

Determinants of Farming System

Components of Farming System

Dairying, Biogas plant, Sheep & goat rearing, Poultry, Fisheries, Bee-keeping (Apiculture), Sericulture, Agro-forestry — each integrates with crop production for a diversified, resilient farm.

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Cropping System

• The principles and practices of cropping and their interaction with farm resources, technology, and environment to suit regional/national needs. ^{FCI AGM 2021}
• Most common cropping system in India: Rice-based cropping system.

Cropping Pattern

• The yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops on a given area, considering soil, climate, crop efficiency, socio-economic factors, technology, and national agricultural policy.
• It is dynamic — changes over space and time.

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Major Cropping Patterns in India

Rice-Wheat dominates the Indo-Gangetic Plains (Zones 3-6) because rice thrives in hot wet kharif and wheat in cool dry rabi — the same alluvial soil serves both.

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Multiple Cropping

Multiple cropping is the primary strategy for intensifying production on limited land. It can be done by growing crops one after another (sequential) or simultaneously (intercropping). Understanding these distinctions is critical — exams often test sequential vs intercropping vs mixed cropping.

Growing two or more crops in a year on the same land to intensify production in both time and space.

(A) Sequential Cropping

• Two or more crops grown one after another on the same field in a year. No overlap in growth periods.
• Intensification in time dimension only.
• No inter-crop competition; farmer manages one crop at a time.
• Double cropping (Rice-Potato), Triple cropping (Rice-Potato-Groundnut).

(B) Intercropping

• Two or more dissimilar crops grown simultaneously on the same land with base crop in distinct row arrangement.
• Intensification in both time and space.

Advantages: Yield stability, better resource use, weed/pest control, mutual support, erosion control.

Disadvantages: Adverse competition, allelopathic effects, obstruction to machinery.

Four Types of Intercropping

(C) Relay / Overlapped Cropping

• Inter-planting 2nd crop before harvest of maturing 1st crop.
• Example: Potato planted before maize harvest; Radish sown before potato harvest.
• Paira (Bihar/WB) and Utera (MP) cropping = sowing lathyrus or lentil before rice harvest to use residual moisture in lowland.

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Mixed Cropping

Mixed cropping is conceptually different from intercropping — it prioritises insurance against failure over systematic resource optimisation. It is most common in dryland areas where monsoon uncertainty makes sole cropping risky.

• Two or more crops grown simultaneously, seeds may be mixed or in alternate rows.
• Crops should have different durations and be harvested at different times. ^{NABARD 2021}
• Main objective: Insurance against crop failure in aberrant weather.
• Studied scientifically first by La-Flitze (1929).
• Common in dryland areas of India; sowing by broadcasting.

Intercropping vs Mixed Cropping

Intercropping uses defined rows so mechanized harvesting remains possible. Mixed cropping broadcasts seeds together because the dryland farmer’s priority is insurance — if one crop fails, the other might survive.

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Other Cropping Concepts

Beyond multiple and mixed cropping, several specialised cropping concepts appear frequently in exams. Each describes a specific way of managing crops on the same land — from ratooning (re-growing from stubble) to multistorey cropping (layering crops by height).

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Crop Rotation

Rotation is one of the oldest and most effective soil management practices. By alternating between exhaustive crops (cereals) and restorative crops (legumes), farmers maintain fertility, break pest cycles, and reduce disease pressure without chemicals.

The repetitive cultivation of an ordered succession of crops on the same land. Crop rotation is the reverse of land rotation — the crop is rotated, not the land.

Principles of Crop Rotation

1. Exhaustive crop followed by restorative crop — cereal (heavy feeder) followed by legume (N-fixer).
2. Deep-rooted crop followed by shallow-rooted crop — uses different soil layers.
3. Crops of different families — breaks host-specific pest and disease cycles.
4. Cash crop followed by food/fodder crop — balances farm economy.
5. Water-demanding crop followed by drought-tolerant crop — conserves moisture.

Common Indian Crop Rotation Examples

Example of pest cycle break: Rice stem borer (Scirpophaga spp.) survives in rice stubble. If rotated with wheat → legume, the pest loses its host, population crashes.

Advantages of Crop Rotation

1. Prevents soil depletion — different crops draw different nutrients
2. Maintains soil fertility — legumes fix atmospheric N₂ (50–200 kg N/ha/yr)
3. Controls weeds — different crop canopies shade out different weed species
4. Breaks pest and disease cycles — host-specific pathogens starve without host
5. Reduces chemical inputs — less need for pesticides/fertilisers
6. Reduces soil erosion — continuous soil cover
7. Increases overall productivity — Rotation yield > monocropping yield over time

Disadvantages of Crop Rotation

1. Complex planning — needs knowledge of crop families and sequences
2. Market linkage needed — rotating crops must all be marketable or usable
3. Equipment and skill requirements vary across crops in the rotation

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Land Equivalent Ratio (LER)

• LER = relative land area under sole crops needed to produce the same yields as intercropping.
• Given by Willey, R.W.
• Example: La = 0.70, Lb = 0.40 —> LER = 1.10 —> intercropping is 10% more land-efficient.

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Cropping Intensity

• Cropping Intensity (CI) = (Total cropped area / Net cultivated area) x 100
• India’s cropping intensity: 143%
• Highest cropping intensity: Punjab
• Cropping Index = number of crops per year x 100. E.g., Cowpea-Rice-Wheat = 300%.

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Important Agronomical Crop Terms

These specialised terms describe the role a crop plays within a cropping system — whether it suppresses weeds, traps pests, restores fertility, or serves as insurance. Exams frequently test the definition-example pairs.

A smother crop is the organic farmer’s alternative to herbicides — it physically shades out weeds through rapid dense growth.

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Indices in Cropping Systems

Seed Measurement Terms

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Additive vs Replacement Series

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Cropping Scheme

The plan for growing crops on individual plots to get maximum return without impairing soil fertility.

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Cropping System Selection Guide for Different Agro-Climatic Zones

Which cropping system to recommend? Match zone + irrigation + soil:

Key principle: A good cropping system maximizes cropping intensity (% of land under crop per year) while maintaining soil health through legume inclusion and residue management. The best system for any farm depends on water availability, soil type, and market access.

Exam-critical distinction: Cropping Pattern = what crops, what sequence. Cropping System = pattern + management practices. Cropping Intensity = (Gross Cropped Area / Net Sown Area) × 100. India’s average cropping intensity is approximately 140%.

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Summary Cheat Sheet