Mixed Cropping Systems Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary objective of mixed cropping?

To maximize growing conditions and crop production, especially on a subsistence basis.

Describe the key difference between mixed crops and companion crops within a mixed cropping system.

Mixed crops involve different crops mixed together, whereas companion crops are sown in distinct rows.

How do guard crops function in a mixed cropping system?

Guard crops protect the main crop by acting as a barrier against pests, rodents, or other threats.

What are the principles behind selecting crops for a mixed cropping system?

<p>The main principles involve minimizing competition among crops and maximizing their complementary characteristics, such as growing legumes with non-legumes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes a 'mono' or sole cropping system?

<p>A system where only one crop is grown on a piece of land.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of 'augmenting crops' in a mixed cropping system?

<p>To supplement the yield of the main crop.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one advantage of mixed cropping in an erratic environment?

<p>It can provide stable growing conditions when conditions become unstable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between a determinate and an indeterminate crop?

<p>A determinate crop has a defined growth period, while indeterminate crops continue to grow and produce over an longer period.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of continuous cropping systems?

<p>Promotes land degradation due to continuous use and agrochemicals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main objective of intercropping?

<p>To maximize grain production per unit area by utilizing space between main crop rows.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define parallel cropping as a subunit of intercropping.

<p>Planting two crops with different growth habits and zero competition in rows next to each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of a cropping system?

<p>A cropping system describes the pattern in which crops are grown in a specific area over time, including the technical and managerial resources used.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are two examples of advantages of companion cropping?

<p>Shelter for smaller plants and attracting beneficial insects for pollen spread.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do farming systems differ from cropping systems?

<p>Farming systems include the farm, household, and both cropping and livestock patterns, whereas cropping systems focus only on crop patterns and their resource interactions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Besides space utilization, what could be another benefit of intercropping?

<p>Crops may support each other, protect each other, or improve soil.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why might some cropping systems not be universally applicable?

<p>They may not be suitable under all circumstances such as different climate and soil conditions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Agroforestry?

<p>Agroforestry involves deliberately growing trees along with crops, animals, or pasture on the same land to enhance benefits for the land user and the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential issue when using an intensive system such as intercropping?

<p>Failure will occur if technical know-how is unavailable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Name three main cropping systems used in agriculture, as mentioned in the text?

<p>Mixed cropping, intercropping, and crop rotation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between mixed cropping and intercropping?

<p>In mixed cropping, different crops are grown together without a specific row arrangement. In intercropping, crops are planted in distinct rows or patterns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Give one example of a specific crop pairing for intercropping.

<p>Sugarcane and potato.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main objective of crop rotation?

<p>The main objective of crop rotation is to grow different crops either sequentially or separately at short intervals on the same land.</p> Signup and view all the answers

List two factors that cause variability in cropping systems.

<p>Crops, time of planting, location, and the level of technology are four of the factors that cause variability in cropping systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are three main things a cropping system includes or details?

<p>A cropping system includes the pattern of crop growth, the resources utilized, and the interactions with the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cropping Systems

  • Cropping systems describe how crops are grown over time in a specific area. It includes the resources used for this activity.
  • It encompasses all cropping patterns, along with their interactions with farm resources and factors like technology, environment and social factors.
  • Objectives of study include distinguishing types of cropping systems (e.g., cropping, farming, agroforestry).
  • Identifying the importance of each system by understanding its guiding principles is also an objective. Another objective is assessing the merits and downsides of each system.

Other Production Systems

  • Farming systems include all parts of a farm: livestock, household, cropping patterns, and production methods.
  • Agroforestry involves strategically planting trees with other crops or animals for increased benefits to land users and to the environment.

Cropping Systems Continued

  • Cropping systems vary. Crops can be planted together at the same time, or sequentially (one after another), or separately, and in short intervals on the same land area.
  • There are five main cropping systems used in agriculture.

Mixed Cropping System

  • This involves growing two or more crops together on the same piece of land without specific arrangement.
  • This system is useful in unstable environments.
  • Crops can be planted at the same or different times of the same season, either in rows or broadcast.

Mixed Cropping System Continued

  • The objective is to maximize growing conditions and produce crops, especially for subsistence farming.

  • Mixed cropping has various forms: mixed crops (growing different crops together in rows or broadcast), companion crops (growing different crops in separate rows), guard crops (surrounding the main crop to protect it from pests or as deterrents), and augmenting crops (supplementing the main crop's yield).

Mixed Cropping System Continued (Advantages)

  • Prevents total crop failure during unfavorable conditions (pest attacks, disease, fire).
  • Low labor cost.
  • Helps maintain soil fertility
  • Provides farmers with enough produce for their daily needs.
  • Simple management.

Mixed Cropping System Continued (Disadvantages)

  • Non-scientific approach.
  • Difficult to carry out all agricultural practices as needed.
  • Difficult to calculate the total planting population
  • Not using mechanization to planting.
  • Incorrect planting distances which would optimize yield

Multiple Cropping System

  • This involves growing two or more crops in a single year.

  • Considered an intense cropping system allowing multiple crops on the same land.

  • Has two subgroups:

    • Relay cropping: Growing two crops sequentially. One crop starts before the other and is harvested before the other is fully grown.
    • Overlapping cropping: Growing two crops together for a period longer than relay cropping.

Multiple Cropping System (Objectives)

  • Increase income from a land area within a particular time period.
  • For commercial gain, not subsistence farming.

Multiple Cropping System (Principles)

  • Employ high-yielding, short-duration crops.
  • Crops must respond favorably to agricultural inputs.

Multiple Cropping/Disadvantages

  • Requires significant technical proficiency.
  • May be susceptible to disease and pests.
  • Potentially high initial costs

Intercropping System

  • An intensive system where a supplementary crop is grown alongside a main crop in rows.
  • The objective is to use the space between main crop rows to maximize yield per unit area.
  • Types include parallel cropping (planting crops in parallel rows), and companion cropping (planting crops alongside each other).

Intercropping (Principles)

  • Crops should complement each other (not compete).
  • Subsidiary crops grow quickly, so they use the available light and nutrients available in the early stages of the main crop's growth
  • Similar agricultural practices are preferred for both plants.

Intercropping (Advantages)

  • Increased nutrient utilization from different soil depths.
  • Higher biomass production per area, and often per time.
  • Greater overall yields.
  • Improved crop quality and quantity

Intercropping (Disadvantages)

  • Potential competition.
  • Not suitable for all land types or situations.
  • Requires extra labor in some cases.

Crop Rotation System

  • Crop rotation involves planting different crops in a planned sequence on the same land over multiple years.
  • The objective is to ensure that the land is used efficiently while also maintaining soil fertility.
  • Principles often highlight the importance of planting different types of crops and avoiding planting crops from the same family, in successions. Plants that exhaust the nutrients in soil, should precede plants that do not exhaust the nutrients.

Crop Rotation System (Advantages)

  • Efficient land use.
  • Checks soil erosion.
  • Breaks pests and disease cycles.

Crop Rotation System (Disadvantages)

  • Needs sound knowledge of plant physiology and agronomy.
  • Some crop rotations are less suitable to larger-scale operations
  • It may be more challenging on smaller plots

Mono-cropping System

  • Growing a single type of crop consistently on the same land over an extended period, as opposed to rotating crops.
  • The objective is to grow large quantities of a single crop type, either annually or perennially.

Mono-cropping System (Advantages)

  • Allows for crop specialization on a large scale
  • Facilitates mechanization and standardization.
  • Easier to manage specific cultural practices for the selected crop type.

Mono-cropping System (Disadvantages)

  • Increased risk of pests and diseases.
  • Potentially depleted nutrients and soil degradation.
  • Vulnerable to total crop failure if conditions become unfavorable, due to monoculture.

Assessments of Cropping Systems

  • The assessment of cropping systems helps in understanding how the yield is developed as a function of the land use.
  • Metrics include cropping intensity index, land equivalent ratio, and relative crowding coefficient.

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Cropping Systems PDF

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Test your knowledge on mixed cropping systems with this quiz. Explore the principles of mixed cropping, the differences between various cropping strategies, and the advantages they offer. Perfect for students and enthusiasts of agricultural sciences.

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