Intercropping refers
to the practice of multitude cropping. This involves the growth of two and/or
more crops in closeness. Intercropping is always done with an express purpose
of producing abundant yields from a given farm through the use of available
resources. In this kind of arrangement, one is always expected to plan
carefully by considering the following:
v
Climate
v
Crops
v
Soil
v
Varieties
Also, one should
always put into account the fact that crops planted do not compete with the
other for water, sunlight, space and nutrients among others.. for example, the
intercropping strategies one can always embrace include; planting tail crops
with shorter ones requiring partial shades; or planting crops with deep roots
among those that are shallow rooted.
To embrace
biodiversity, researchers indicate that intercropping compatible crops is the
way to go. This will in the long run provide habitat for numerous insects as
well as soil organisms that may not have been present in just a mono-cropping
environment. In turn, this helps limit the outbreak of pests through the
increase of predator biodiversity. In
addition to this, the reduction of the crop homogeneity will equally increase
the barriers against pest organisms’ biological dispersal through the planted
crops.
Also, from the
implication of the name; mixed cropping, this is always considered to be among
the most basic form whereby the component crops can be mixed in any space
available. On the other hand hitherto, row cropping entails component crops
planted in alternative rows. The variations here may include strip cropping and
alley cropping.
i.
Alley
cropping: this is where crops are grown within the existing rows of other crops
like trees.
ii.
Strip
cropping: this is a type of cropping where numerous rows are alternated within
or among the crops
There is also another
type of intercropping knowns as temporal intercropping. In this kind of
arrangement, the practice of planting a quick-growing crop is used. This is intended at harvesting a fast-growing
crop before maturity tie of a slow growing one. Froe example, you can intercrop
your maize and beans. Beans will take sixty days to mature, while maize takes
three or more months to maturity. Another temporal separation may also be
realized in relay cropping. In this kind of arrangement, a farmer plants a
second crop as the first one continues growing. Relay cropping is always
practiced at the onset of the reproductive fruiting or development of the first
crops, in order to harvest the first crop and create room for total development
of the first one.
Cons of intercropping
i.
The
practice reduces the mite/insect population. This owes to the crop diversity
grown
ii.
Reduction
of plant diseases. This is because there is increased distance between plants
of the same
iii.
The practice
minimizes hillside erosion in addition to protecting the top soil lik in the
case of contour strip farming.
iv.
There
is efficient use of the farm area.
v.
Intercropping
helps minimize labor – a case in point, when you intercrop beans and maize,
groundnuts and maize among others.
vi.
More than
one food crop can be obtained within a specified farming season
vii.
Ultimately,
intercropping is essential in attraction of significant insects particularly
with the flowering crops.