Plant Density & Planting Types

• Density in plant ecology refers to the number of individuals of a species within a specific area.
• Plant population or plant density is the number of plants per unit area in a cropped field.
• Optimum plant population refers to the number of plants needed to achieve maximum output or biomass per unit area; exceeding this number typically doesn't increase the biomass, or it reduces it.
• Planting patterns affect crop yield influencing light interception, rooting pattern, and moisture extraction.
• Plant geometry is the shape of an individual plant.
• Crop geometry refers to the configuration and arrangement of space for individual plants.

Planting Types

• In square planting, the plant-to-plant and row-to-row spacing are equal.
• Square planting facilitates better utilization of growth resources like light, water, and nutrients.
• Rectangular planting consists of wider inter-row spacing and closer intra-row spacing and is commonly used for most field crops.
• Rectangular planting facilitates intercultural operations.
• Skip row planting involves skipping certain rows to improve aeration.
• Skipping rows is a cultural practice to protect against Brown Plant Hopper in rice.
• Paired-row planting involves skipping one row and reducing intra-row spaces to adjust the population.

Intercultural Operations

• Gap filling is required when gaps occur due to poor quality seeds, soil crusting, waterlogging, or incorrect planting depth.
• Gap filling maintains optimum plant population.
• Gap filling is not advantageous for short-duration crops.
• Thinning is done to avoid plant overcrowding.
• Thinning helps maintain optimal plant population.
• Thinning can be expensive and time-consuming
• Weeding involves removing weeds during the initial stages of crop growth; its often done with small agricultural implements.
• Thinning and weeding are sometimes done simultaneously.
• Nipping involves removing apical buds to encourage lateral branching.
• Nipping is typically done 5-6 weeks into the crop age.
• Nipping is done in chickpea crops.
• Tying, wrapping, and propping are done in sugarcane crops.
• Wrapping involves removing dry leaves and wrapping canes together in a single bundle.
• Tying involves tying bundles together by crossing canes from adjacent rows.
• Propping consists of putting bamboo sticks in place for additional support.

Crop Yields and Yield Components

• Crop yield is the harvested produce from a crop grown in an area of land, and is measured in tonnes/ha, kg/ha, or quintals/ha.
• Yield components make up or control the yield of a crop.
• A component of the crop yield in rice is the number of mature panicles per unit area.
• A factor that affects crop yield of rice is the percent of filled spikelets per panicle. The 1000-grain weight (Test weight) is a factor that affects the crop yield in rice.
• A yield component in mustard is the number of plants per unit area.
• The number of siliqua per plant is a component that affects crop yield for mustard.
• Number of seeds/siliqua influences the crop yield in mustard plots
• The 1000-seed weight (Test weight) affects crop yield for mustard.
• Biological yield is the total dry matter produced by a crop. Economic yield is the economically valuable part of the total dry matter.
• Harvest Index (%) is calculated as (Economic yield/Biological yield) X 100; the resulting percentage tells you how much of the yield is economically viable.
• In rice, if the grain to straw ratio is 1:1, the Harvest Index equals 50%.
• In rice, if the grain to straw ratio is 1:2, the Harvest Index equals 33.3%.

Cropping Patterns and Systems

Types of Cropping

• Mono-cropping means growing a single crop on the same land in a calendar year.
• Multiple cropping growing multiple crops on the same land.
• Multiple cropping can be done in series or in parallel.
• The term "Maximum Cropping" refers to attaining the highest possible production per unit area per unit time, regardless of cultivation costs or net return.
• Intercropping involves growing two or more crops together with a definite row arrangement.
• Mixed cropping means growing two or more crops together without a definite row arrangement.
• In intercropping the crops don't need to be sown and harvested at corresponding times, but may be grown together for a significant portion of the growing period.
• Relay cropping means growing crops where there is little to no overlap in the growing period, like a relay race where the baton is passed from one crop to another.

Most Efficient Cropping Systems in India

• Examples of mono cropping include rice, maize, soybean, cotton, sorghum, and pearl millet.
• Examples of sequential cropping systems include rice-wheat, maize-wheat, sorghum-wheat, soybean-groundnut, sugarcane-pulses, rice-potato/mustard/wheat-Vegetables/jute (in West Bengal), and rice-maize (in North Bengal).
• Intercropping may be done with wheat and chickpea, maize and greengram, or wheat and rapeseed-mustard
• Mixed Cropping: can be done with wheat and barley.

Factors that affect cropping systems

• Climate elements like local temperature, rainfall, wind, and sunshine affect the suitability of a crop or cropping system.
• Rice is often grown during heavy monsoons, while millets are grown during light monsoons.
• Soil type, pH, and fertility affect the suitability of a given crop or cropping system.
• Rice can tolerate waterlogged conditions, while wheat, maize, potato, tobacco, cotton, and legumes need well-aerated soil.
• Water availability impacts cropping system.
• Market demand and availability of market infrastructure affect the cropping system.
• Labor and mechanization impact the cropping system.
• Available technology affects the cropping system.
• The financial situation of farmers, including land holding size, affects a cropping system.
• Government policies and schemes affect the cropping system.
• Farmers past and present experiences affect the cropping system. Anticipated profit and risk can affect the cropping system.

Understand plant density in ecology: the number of individuals in a specific area. Learn about optimum plant population for max biomass. Explore planting patterns like square and rectangular, influencing light, water & nutrients.