Various Types of Cropping Systems in India

India is a land of multiplicity of cropping patterns and systems. In the previous section, we have already discussed about different types of cropping patterns. The cropping pattern becomes a cropping system when we consider different factors of farm production, the interaction between different crops and these factors, and the interaction between crops. Due to this, various cropping systems discussed ahead can also be cropping patterns in one or another way.

Food Crops based Cropping Systems are common in India

Since food crops are predominantly grown in the country, the various cropping systems are named as per main food crop. Thus, main food crops based cropping systems of India include Rice based cropping system; Sorghum based cropping system; Pearl millet based cropping system; Wheat and gram based cropping system etc. The commercial crops based cropping systems include cotton based cropping system; groundnut based cropping system; plantation based cropping system; vegetable based cropping systems etc.

There are more than 30 types of cropping systems found in the country such as rice-wheat, rice-rice, rice-gram, rice-mustard, rice-groundnut, rice-sorghum, pearl millet-gram, pearl millet-mustard, pearl millet-sorghum, cotton-wheat, cotton-gram, cotton-sorghum, cotton-safflower, cotton-groundnut, maize-wheat, maize-gram, sugarcane-wheat, soybean-wheat, sorghum-sorghum, groundnut-wheat, sorghum-groundnut, groundnut-rice, sorghum-wheat, sorghum-gram, pigeon pea-sorghum, groundnut-groundnut, sorghum-rice, groundnut-sorghum, soybean-gram and so on.

The main cropping systems are discussed below:

Rice-Wheat Cropping System

The Rice-wheat cropping system is India’s most widely adopted cropping system practiced on an estimated area of around 11 million hectares.

Rice-Rice Cropping System

This type of the cropping system is found in irrigated lands and coastal regions of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Due to Monocropping; these systems have suffered deterioration of the soil and micronutrient deficiency.

Rice-Groundnut Cropping system

Under this cropping system; groundnut is grown as Kharif crop and rice is grown in fallows. Groundnut being a legume; the rice-groundnut cropping system is more sustainable and remunerative. This system is practiced in parts of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

Rice-Pulses Cropping System

This cropping system is followed in parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. This has resulted in both high productivity of rice as well as pulses; but the problem is of erratic supply of irrigation in these areas.

Pearl millet-Wheat / Pearl millet-Mustard Cropping System

These are important cropping system in western part of the country, particularly semi arid regions of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.  Wheat is grown as Rabi crop and Pearl Millet (Bajra) is grown in Kharif season. This system is also facing issue of decreased soil fertility and lowering of the groundwater table. Pearl millet can deplete the soil of essential nutrient system.

Maize-Wheat Cropping System

In this cropping system; maize is a principal crop of Kharif season whole Wheat is a principal crop in Rabi season. This system is practiced in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab etc. Most of the area in the Maize-wheat system is under Rainfed area where uncertainty of rainfall is a major limitation.

Sorghum-Wheat Cropping System

This cropping system is prevalent in Rajasthan, Western Madhya Pradesh, and Western Maharashtra including Vidarbha, Southern Gujarat and Northern parts of Karnataka.

Sugarcane-Wheat Cropping System

Sugarcane Wheat cropping system is prevalent in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. This system also faces problem of imbalance of nutrients.

Cotton-Wheat Cropping System

In this system, short duration cotton is grown in sequence with wheat in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Western UP and some other parts of central India.

Soybean – Wheat Cropping System

This is relatively new cropping system emerged only after 1980s when Soyabean was introduced as a Kharif crop in several parts of the country. This system is prevalent in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and some parts of southern Maharashtra.