INTER AND SEQUENTIAL CROPPING

1. INTER AND SEQUENTIAL CROPPING Next End

2. Cropping system: Short duration and wide flexibility is planting and harvesting time are potato’s valuable traits that help in adjusting this crop in various intensive cropping systems prevalent in the country. There are some varieties that can give sizable yield in just 65-70 days under assured irrigation and congenial night temperatures and these fit well in diversified cropping systems. Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, Jute, pulses and vegetables are some of the major crops in the potato growing regions. Potato based cropping systems involving these crops have been developed and evaluated. The important crop sequences involving potato are shown in Fig 1 Next Previous End

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4. Some of the remunerative potato based cropping systems (sequences and intercrops) suitable for different regions of the country. On sandy soils in Biharsharif (Bihar) noted for raising early potatoes as well as seed potatoes, multiple cropping has been practiced since olden times. Maize in kharif, early potato crop in autumn, late potato crop for seed in winter and minor millet (cheena) in summer, is the classical example of the intensive cropping sequence in this area. An early variety of local maize and satha (Lit. 60- day) variety of potatoes were chosen for the purpose. Sikka et al., (1974) reported that 3- crop rotations such as maize-potato-onion, maize-potato-tomato were more profitable than the 2 crop maize-wheat rotation. Sesbania (green manure) - potato (early or seed crop) - wheat (preferably transplanted), though less intensive than triple cropping was the most profitable, because of the inclusion of the green-manure crop in the sequence. Next Previous End

5. Wheat can be grown in sequence or as intercrop with potato. • In sequence, timely sowing of wheat in spring can be ensured by suing well sprouted tubers of short duration potato variety for autumn potato crop and a late variety of wheat. • Intercropping of wheat in between potato rows (wheat is sown in furrows after earthing up to potato) is advisable. • Potato can fit in two-rice crops or rice- jute system in north-eastern plains. With sugarcane, potato can fit in sequence with spring sugarcane or as intercrop with autumn or ratoon sugarcane. • Intercropping involving crops like potato, onion, garlic, fennel, French been etc. is also common. • An intensive crop rotation maize (kharif crop) - potato (autumn crop) - wheat (spring crop) kharif maize - autumn potato - wheat (spring crop) green gram (summer crop) was suggested by workers at Delhi (Arora and Raheja,1963). • In this sequential system, kharif maize and autumn potato could be sown/planted at the optimum time. Next Previous End

6. However sowing of wheat and green gram are perforce delayed, resulting in poor yield from them. • In fact it has been observed that green gram sown after wheat harvest often failed to form or mature pods at Ludhiana. Sandhu et al., (1978) showed that maize and sorghum depressed the yield of the succeeding potato crop, where as pearl millet did not depress it. • The performance of wheat after potato harvest could be improved by sowing in the standing potato crop by 101% over conventional method (Sandhu et al., 1974) and that of green gram by inter sowing it between the rows of wheat a few days before the harvest (Singh,1981). • In a number of trails in Uttar Pradesh, sugarcane was inter planted between potato rows in autumn. • There was hardly any depression in sugarcane yield, but a little reduction in the yield of potato under intercropping was observed. • At Rajgurunagar in the plateau, the potato inter cropped between the rows of sugarcane, which is a long-duration crop, gave extra yield of tubers without affecting then yield of sugarcane (Akhade et al. 1975). Next Previous End

7. At Lucknow, Verma and Yadav (1986) reported that Kufri Sindhuri gave higher tuber yield than Kufri Chandramukhi whereas cane yield was higher with Kufri Chandramukhi potato intercropping system. • At Jalandhar, sugarcane (autumn planted) - potato (inter crop) - onion proved an attractive proposition as additional yields of potato and onion were obtained with little sacrifice of sugarcane yield.The autumn-planted sugarcane in the inter cropping system gave higher yield than planting of a crop of sugarcane in spring, the normal practice with the farmers in spite of the competitive effects involved in the intercropping system. • In Sikkim, Potato is generally grown in the intensive cropping system. It is rotated mostly in one year rotation. • At higher elevation i.e. above 2500m MSL potato is generally mono cropped. Next Previous End

8. Other common cropping patterns, taking potato as the base crop in the state are as follows: • Potato-Maize-Millet • Potato-Maize-Paddy • Potato-Maize-Pulses • Potato-Paddy • Potato-Pulses Next Previous End

9. Assessment 1. Cropping system is a way of ____________ in India. a)Increasing crop production b). Decreasing crop production 2. Wheat can be grown in --------- or as ------------ with potato 3 Sugarcane can grow as intercrop in potato field (True or False). 4. Higher elevation potato grown as ____________ a)Monocrop b). Intercrop c). Multiple crop 5. Potato is not a short duration crop (True / False) Next Previous End

10. References: • Smith, 1968 -Potatoes; Production, storing, processing - The Avi publishing company. INC • Narendra singh & Zakwan Ahmed,2010 – Potato production storage & marketing. • www.tnau.ac.in • www.wikipedia.org Previous