Cropping pattern refers to the proportion of area under different crops at any given point of time in a unit area. It indicates the temporal and/or spatial arrangement of crops in a particular area. Whereas, cropping system is a broader term than cropping pattern and includes the sum total of all crops and the practices used to grow those crops on a field or farm. It comprises all components, such as water, soil, technology etc. required for the production of a particular crop and the interrelationships between them and the surrounding environment.

Differences between Cropping pattern and Cropping systems:

Types of cropping systems practiced in India:

• Mono Cropping: It refers to growing only one crop on a piece of land year after year. It may be due to climatic and socio-economic conditions or due to specialisation of a farmer in growing a particular crop. For e.g. groundnut or cotton or sorghum are grown year after year due to limitation of rainfall while under waterlogged condition, rice crop is grown as it is not possible to grow any other crop.
• Multiple Cropping: It is the practice of growing two or more crops in the same field within a given year. It includes
  • Mixed-cropping: Two or more crops grown in the same field within a given year without a definite row arrangement. Sorghum, pearl millet and cowpeas are mixed and broadcasted in rain-fed conditions.
  • Inter-cropping: It includes growing two or more crops simultaneously with definite row arrangement on the same field with an objective of higher productivity per unit area in addition to stability in production. Example is that of maize plus greengram or blackgram.
  • Sequence cropping: It can be defined as growing two or more crops in a sequence on the same piece of land in a farming year. The succeeding crop is planted after the preceding crop has been harvested. Example: Tomato- rice- pulse or rice-cotton.
• Other types of Cropping:
  • Alley Cropping: It is planting rows of trees at wide spacing with a companion crop grown in the alleyways between the rows. The trees may include valuable hardwood veneer or lumber species; fruit, nuts etc.
  • Relay Cropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously during the part of the life cycle of each. In India, Rice -cauliflower – onion-summer gourd is one example of relay cropping.
  • Ratoon Cropping: Crop regrows out of roots or stalks which were left after harvest of crops. Besides sugarcane, ratooning is also practiced commercially in many other crops including banana, cotton etc.

Cropping patterns and systems are mostly affected due to agronomic factors, economic factors and policy-related factors. Over the last few decades the stress over agriculture has hinted that the cropping pattern and system needs to be reformed based on agriculture zones.