III Components of Agro-ecosystem

The most widely applicable components or technique which results intensive plan growth (biomass production) and good humus management even with low levels of external inputs can be classified as vegetation design, use of biological symbionts, green manuring mulching, composting, integrated plant protection, integrated livestock management and aquaculture.

A. Vegetation Design
Different types of cropping pattern constitute the vegetation design.

1. Mixed cropping or Inter-cropping
Mixed cropping is the process of growing two or more crops together in the same piece of land. The purpose of mixed cropping is low risk, better soil cover and intensification of cropping. Since there are two crops on a piece of land at the same time, if one crop meets with some failure, the other may serve as an alternative. In mixed cropping, the number of plants per unit area is more and so the soil erosion is less. Crops are further mixed in following ways.

a. Mixed crops
The seeds of different crops are mixed together and then sown either in line or they are broadcast. This system is not very scientific and only practised in forage and fodder crops.

b. Companion crops in Strip cropping
For this group, crops are choose which are not competitive among them. The seeds of different crops are not mixed together but sown in different rows e.g. between two rows of mustard five to eight row of wheat, between two rows of arhar three rows of ground nut.

c. Guard crops
Under this system main crop is grown in the centre; surrounded by hardy or thorny crops such as safflower around pea or wheat, mesta (patsan) around sugarcane, jowar around maize with view to provide protection to the main crops.