GKAPT.ER I 



LITERATURE REVIEW 



Concepts of Cropping Systems 



A cropping system is defined as a collection of distinct functional 

 units or of elements that are interrelated and interacting (3I, 9^, 118, 

 II9, 138). These components are crops, soils, marketing activities, 

 production inputs, farmer's management skills, amd other environmental 

 factors. The farmer sometimes manipulates some of these factors in order 

 to achieve his goals. 



Common terms used in cropping systems include; 



A crop system comprises components required for the production 

 of a particular crop and the interrelationships with the environment. 

 These components include the necessary physical, biological, and techjio- 

 logical factors as well as labor (31)' 



Monoculture involves the growing of only one crop on the same 

 plot of land in one year (5, 31 » 138, 15?) • 



Multicropping is the growing of more than one crop on the same 

 land in one year (5, 68, 138). 



Sequential cropping is the growing of two or more crops in 

 sequence on the same field per year (5, I38, 15?) • 



Intercropping is the growing of more than one crop on the same 

 field at the ssme tLme (5, ^■7 , 69, 138, 157)- 



Relay intercropping is the planting of a second crop before the 

 first crop is harvested (5, ^7, 69, 138). 



^ A cropping pattern is a yearly sequence and arrangement of crops 

 or fallow on a given land area (5, 31)- The interaction of cropping 

 patterns with physical and socio-economic factors results in cropping 

 systems for a given area (68). 



