· Mix Cropping Is The Outstanding Feature Of Organic Farming In Which Variety Of Crops Are Grown Simultaneously Or At Different Time On The Same Land. In Every Season Care Should Be Taken To Maintain Legume Cropping At Least 40%. Mix Cropping Promotes Photosynthesis And Avoids The Competition For Nutrients Because Different Plants Draw Their Nutrients From Different Depth Of Soil. The Legume Fixes Atmospheric Nitrogen And Make Available For Companion Or Succeeding Crops. Deep Rooted Plants Drew Nutrient From Deeper Layer Of Soil And Bring Them To The Surface Of Soil Through Their Leaf Fall. So The Nutrients Leached Down To Lower Strata Are Further Brought Back To Upper Layer By These Deep Rooted Plants. Also Help In Protecting Soil From Soil Erosion. Farmers Should Select The Crops Combination According To Their Needs And Season. |
· In Selecting Crop Combinations, Only Compatible Crops Should Be Planted, For E.G. Maize Gets Along Well With Beans And Cucumber, Tomatoes Go Well With Onions And Marigold. On The Other Hand Beans And Onions Do Not Go Well With Each Other. |
· Entire Farm Should Have At Least 8-10 Types Of Crops At All The Times. Each Field/ Plot Should Have At Least 2-4 Types Of Crops Out Of Which One Should Be Legume. In Case If Only One Crop Is Taken In One Plot Then Adjacent Plots Should Have Different Crops. For Maintenance Of Diversity And Pest Control Randomly Plant 50- 150/Acre Vegetable Seedlings For Home Consumption And 100 Plants/Acre Of Marigold (Genda) In All Crop Fields. Even High Nutrient Demanding Crops Such As Sugarcane Can Also Be Grown With Suitable Combination Of Various Legume And Vegetable Crops With Optimum Productivity. |
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Crop Rotation |
Crop Rotation Is The Back Bone Of Organic Farming Practices. To Keep The Soil Healthy And To Allow The Natural Microbial Systems Working, Crop Rotation Is Must. Crop Rotation Is The Succession Of Different Crops Cultivated On Same Land. Follow 3-4 Years Rotation Plan. All High Nutrient Demanding Crops Should Precede And Follow Legume Dominated Crop Combination. Rotation Of Pest Host And Non Pest Host Crops Helps In Controlling Soil Borne Diseases And Pest. It Also Helps In Controlling Weeds. It Is Better For Improving Productivity And Fertility Of Soil. Crop Rotations Help In Improving Soil Structure Through Different Types Of Root System. Legumes Should Be Used Frequently In Rotation With Cereal And Vegetable Crops. Green Manure Crops Should Also Find Place In Planning Rotations. High Nutrient Demanding Crops Should Always Be Followed By Legume Crops And Returned Back To Soil. Some Important Benefits Of Crop Rotations Are:· Not All Plants Have Same Nutritive Needs · Soil Structure Is Improved Through Different Types Of Roots · Pest Build Up Is Avoided And · Rotations Help Against The Build Up Of Weeds. |
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Under Network Project On Organic Farming (NPOF Of ICAR) Important Cropping Systems, Which Were Found Economically Better Or At Par With Conventional System At Different Experimental Stations In The Country Have Been Identified, Which Are As Follows: · Tomato/ Cabbage –
Cauliflower – Pea And Maize – Garlic At Bajaura, · Rice – Wheat/ Potato/ Mustard/ Lentil At Ranchi, Jharkhand · Groundnut – Rabi Sorghum, Soybean – Durum Wheat, Potato – Chick Pea, Chillil+ Cotton And Maize – Chick Pea At Dharwad, Karnataka · Soybean – Durum Wheat/ Mustard/ Chick Pea/ Isabgol At Bhopal, M.P. · Rice – Durum Wheat/ Berseem, Rice – Potato – Okra And Rice – Garlic, Sorghum – Berseem, Maize – Berseem – Maize + Coepea And Sorghum + Cluster Bean – Oats-Cowpea At Ludhiana, Punjab · Maize – Cotton, Chillies – Onion And Brinjal – Sunflower At Coimbatore · Sorghum – Pea – Okra At Modipuram, Uttar Pradesh · Carrot/ Rice (Pre Kharif) – Rice (Kharif), Potato/Rice (Pre Kharif) – Rice (Kharif), Tomato/ Rice (Pre Kharif) – Rice (Kharif), French Bean/ Rice (Pre Kharif) – Rice (Kharif) At Umiam, Meghalaya |
