Definitions of Cropping System
The
term cropping system
refers to the crops and crop sequences and
the management techniques that are used on a particular field over a period (years).
This term is not new, but it has been used more often in recent years in
discussions about sustainability of our agricultural production systems.
Several other terms have been used also during these discussions:
Allelopathy
This is the release of a chemical substance by one plant species that inhibits the growth of another species. It has been proven or is suspected to cause yield reductions when one crop follows another of the same family, for example, when corn is followed by wheat. Technically, damage to a crop from following itself (such as corn following corn) is referred to as autotoxicity. In many cases the actual cause of such yield reduction is not well understood, but it is generally thought that the breakdown of crop residue can release chemicals that inhibit the growth of the next crop. Keeping old-crop residue away from new-crop roots and seedlings should help to minimize such damage.
This is the release of a chemical substance by one plant species that inhibits the growth of another species. It has been proven or is suspected to cause yield reductions when one crop follows another of the same family, for example, when corn is followed by wheat. Technically, damage to a crop from following itself (such as corn following corn) is referred to as autotoxicity. In many cases the actual cause of such yield reduction is not well understood, but it is generally thought that the breakdown of crop residue can release chemicals that inhibit the growth of the next crop. Keeping old-crop residue away from new-crop roots and seedlings should help to minimize such damage.
Double-cropping
(also known as sequential cropping), Is the practice of planting a second crop immediately after the harvest of a first crop, thus harvesting two crops from the same field in a year. This is a case of multiple cropping, which requires a season long enough and crops that mature quickly enough to allow two harvests in one year.
Intercropping
This is the presence of two or more crops in the same field at thesame time, planted in an arrangement that results in the crops competing with one another.
Monocropping or monoculture
Refers to the presence of just a single crop in a field. This term is often used to refer to growing the same crop year after year in the same field; this practice is best described as continuous cropping, or continuous monocropping.
Relay intercropping
This is a technique in which different crops are planted at different times in the same field, and both or all crops spend at least part of their season in the field growing together. An example would be dropping cover-crop seed into a soybean crop before maturity starts occurring.
Strip cropping
This is the presence of two or more crops in the same field, planted in strips such that most plan competition is within each crop rather than between crops. This practice is consisting of both intercropping and monocropping, with the width of the strips determining the degree of each.
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