Cropping system

The term cropping system refers to the crops, crop sequences and management techniques used on a particular agricultural field over a period of years. It includes all spatial and temporal aspects of managing an agricultural system. Historically, cropping systems have been designed to maximise yield, but modern agriculture is increasingly concerned with promoting environmental sustainability in cropping systems. G.singh

Crop choice is central to any cropping system. In evaluating whether a given crop will be planted, a farmer must consider its profitability, adaptability to changing conditions, resistance to disease, and requirement for specific technologies during growth or harvesting. They must also consider the prevailing environmental conditions on their farm, and how the crop will fit in with other elements of their production system.

Monoculture is the practice of growing a single crop in a given area, where polyculture involves growing multiple crops in an area. Monocropping (or continuous monoculture) is a system where the same crop is grown in the same area for a number of growing seasons. Many modern farms are made up of a number of fields which can be cultivated separately and thus can be used in a crop rotation sequence. Crop rotation has been employed for thousands of years, and has been widely found to increase yield and prevent harmful changes to the soil environment that limit productivity in the long-term. Although the specific mechanisms regulating this effect are not fully understood, it is thought to be related to differential effects on soil chemical, physical, and microbiological properties by different crops. By affecting the soil in different ways, crops in a rotation help to stabilise changes in these properties. Another consideration is that many agricultural pests are species-specific, so having a given species present in a field only some of the time helps prevents populations of its pests from growing.

The organisation of individual plants within a field is also variable and typically depends on the crop being grown. Many vegetables, cereals, and fruits are grown in contiguous rows which are wide enough to allow cultivation (or mowing, in the case of fruits) without damaging crop plants. Other systems aim for maximum plant density and have no such organisation. Forages are grown in this manner, since animal traffic is expected and maximum plant density is required for their nutrition, as are cover crops, since their purpose of competing with weeds and preventing soil erosion depends largely on density.

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