After completing this lesson, you have learned to answer:

1
Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• After completing this lesson, you have learned
  to answer
• Define cropping systems?
• List the features of an ideal cropping system?
• List the generally practiced cropping systems?
• What is monocropping?
• Define crop rotation practice?
• What types of crop rotation practices exist?
• What are the advantages of practicing crop
  rotation?

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• At the end of this lesson, you have learned to
  answer
• What should be the criteria for selecting a good
  crop rotation practice?
• What crops are useful for crop rotation with
  sorghum?
• Define intercropping system?
• How intercropping system is advantageous over
  monocropping of sorghum?
• What is monocropping?

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• A cropping system refers to growing a combination
  of crops in space and time.
• An ideal cropping system should
• use natural resources efficiently
• provide stable and high returns
• do not damage the environment.
•  
• Commonly practiced cropping systems are
• Crop rotation practices
• Intercropping systems
• Mixed cropping systems
• Ratoon cropping

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
Growing the same crop year after year in the same
field is called monocropping. In contrast to
monocropping, in crop rotation practice crops are
grown in a planned sequence from season to season
within a year or from year to year.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• This planned crop rotation sequence could be
• Two crops in two different seasons within a
  year i.e. double cropping, e.g. sorghum
  followed by chickpea.
• for a two- year period i.e. two year crop
  rotation, e.g.
• Year 1 sorghum
• Year 2 groundnut
• Year 3 will be sorghum again.

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• This planned crop rotation sequence could be
• three-year period i.e three year crop rotation,
  e.g.
• Year 1 sorghum
• Year 2 groundnut
• Year 3 cotton
• Year 4 will be sorghum again.

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• Some of the general purposes of crop rotation
  are
• improve or maintain soil fertility,
• check erosion,
• reduce the build-up of pests,
• spread the workload on family labor, use
  of bullocks and farm equipment, hired labor
  etc.
• mitigate risk of weather changes,
• less reliance on agricultural chemicals,
• increase net profits.

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
When selecting a rotation, the long term
viability of that rotation to reduce weed, insect
and disease pressure, as well as its economic
viability must be considered. A well developed
plan which can be altered when necessary should
always be followed. Otherwise, the desired crop
sequence may be interrupted and the maximum
benefits of the rotational effect will not be
obtained.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
The following are important to consider when
designing a crop rotation, regardless of
location. How will the previous crop affect
subsequent crop production?
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices

• Will the previous crop increase or decrease
  concerns in the following areas?
• Disease, insect, weed control, and residue
  management
• Soil moisture and fertility utilization
• Seed bed preparation
• Planting and harvesting schedule
• Gross economic returns

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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
Sorghum crop is grown during both kharif
(July-November) and rabi (October-February)
seasons, the rabi crop constituting 36-38 of the
total area under this crop. The area under the
rabi sorghum is concentrated in the Deccan
plateau more or less a contiguous belt. In the
states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, the rabi
sorghum occupies about 55-60 of the total
sorghum area.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
In Andhra Pradesh, the distribution is 50-50 in
kharif and rabi seasons. In the rest of the
states the kharif season sorghum is more
important. Only a very small area of this crop,
about 4-5 , is grown under irrigation, usually
during summer months (January-April).
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
Generally, as a rainfed crop (in kharif), sorghum
is grown year after year in a monocropping
system. This practice may lead to the crop
failure due to adverse weather conditions during
crop growth period. Sorghum crop in general
should be rotated with other cereals like maize,
pearl millet (bajra) or minor millets or
preferably with legumes like groundnut.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
The most of the districts of eastern Madhya
Pradesh, the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, some
parts of Andhra Pradesh, and southern districts
of Rajasthan, receive a rainfall of 700 to 800 mm
and have moisture-retentive black-cotton soils.
Traditionally, in these areas a single long
duration (5 to 5.5 months) kharif sorghum is
grown. The productivity becomes uncertain in
subnormal years of rainfall with this practice.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
In these areas if an early-maturing hybrid or
improved variety resistant or tolerant to grain
molds, e.g. CSH-6 hybrid, good yield of sorghum
could be harvested even in subnormal
years. Further, in normal years a second crop of
ratoon sorghum, or safflower or chickpea can be
grown. Such a change enables the stability of
sorghum production in all years, and enhances the
overall productivity of sorghum in black-cotton
soils.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
On the all-India basis, about 17 major cropping
patterns have been identified. In them the base
crop is kharif sorghum. Most of the alternative
crops are also of the type which can be grown
under medium rainfall.
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
State Alternate crops Maharashtra
Cotton, pulses, groundnut and
small millets Andhra Pradesh
Groundnuts, cotton, oilseeds
and pulses Karnataka
Cotton and groundnut, ragi Rajasthan
Cotton, pearl millet and maize Gujarat
Pearl millet, cotton and
groundnut
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Lesson 1 Crop Rotation Practices
Sorghum based Cropping Pattern