Question

Bhola and Rajni, who are studying in Class IX, were travelling in a train. Rajni observed field with two crops growing simultaneously in a definite pattern. While Bhola was busy playing with a velocity game, Rajni noticed that rows of bajra and lobia were grown in alternate rows. How does this practice benefit the farmer?

Answer 1

Cultivating crops in a simultaneous pattern is called as strip farming. Strip cropping is a method of farming which involves cultivating a field partitioned into long, narrow strips which are alternated in a crop rotation system. The most common crop choices for strip cropping are closely sown crops such as hay, wheat, or other forages which are alternated with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, or sugar beets. The forages serve primarily as cover crops. Strip cropping used as a technique for erosion control is a most effective method in certain soils and topography. This method becomes more effective for erosion control, which it is followed with crop rotations in the area where terraces are not practically feasible due to the fact that the length of slope is divided into different small segments. The strip crops check the surface runoff and force them to infiltrate into the soil, thereby facilitates the conservation of rainwater. It is more intensive practice for conserving the rainwater than contouring (i.e. about twice as effective as contouring) but it does not involve a greater effect on soil erosion as terracing and banding.