sequence cropping

Sequence Cropping Concept , Advantage , Influence

Prepare : Raji Ali Awadi Check : Prof.Dr.Ali Arfan

What is sequence Cropping?

Sequential cropping refers to growing crops in sequence within a crop year, one crop being sown after the harvest of the other.

When two or more crops are grown in a year on the same land, the system is referred to be double cropping or multiple cropping

Cropping sequences is a rotation system approach in crop production that enabling the available natural resources to be conserved and more efficiently utilized.

It is the growing of the succession of crops in time on one field in particular time [Matthews KB ., et al 2006]

Example : sequence cropping • • • • • •

Wheat + Canola + pea……………………….Year 1 Wheat + Wheat + Maize.…………………. Year 2 Wheat +Wheat + Wheat……………………Year 3 Rice + Rice………………………………………..Year 1 Rice + Wheat…………………………………….Year 2 Rice + Maize……………………………………..Year 3

What is the crop rotation?!

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons.

It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant pest and weed.

well-designed crop rotation can reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and herbicides by better using ecosystem services from a diverse set of crops. Additionally, crop rotation can improve soil structure and organic matter, which reduces erosion

These three-to four-year trials when complete should provide the basis for crop sequence management packages for the local region.

The choice of sequence highly based on agricultural system, finance and environmental condition(Fisseha, Negash et al .,2017

cropping sequences in a particular location may be influenced by agroecological conditions; such as rainfall, topography, soil type, fertility status, disease and pests.

In addition to this, cropping sequences is possibly prejudiced by socioeconomic and environmental conditions

The choice of sequence is primarily depends on a management of the crop, financial and agricultural or environmental factors.

The primary goals of finance and agriculture or environment are to increase profit and yield increment from a particular sequence of crops, respectively [Matthews KB, et al.,2006]

Cropping sequence improve crop yield and soil fertility by different ways. For instance, the benefits of rotating cereals with legume in crop rotations are fixe nitrogen by the legume, interruption of weed, disease and insect cycles by dicotyledonous crops, crop diversification, and improvement in soil status and a reduction in rainfall, run off and erosion [Heenan DP, Taylor AC, Leys AR (1990]

In soybean maize cropping sequence, maize yield increases since the soybeans’ ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and increase the soil fertility particularly soil nitrogen and consequently enhance the productivity of the succeeding cereal crops [Bisht JK, Chandel AS (1996]

Different crop sequences under no till affect the quantity, quality and permanence of crop residues, capacity of fallow periods, and distribution and type of root systems [Benjamin JG, F, et al. 2007]

maize grain yield was highly influenced by crop sequence and grain yield ranged from 2.0 t ha1 with the continuous maize to 7.0 t ha-1 on plot previously cropped to pigeon pea [Adjei Nsiah S, et al.2008]

Cropping designs containing more than one crop are normally built up by elements of crop sequences with a beneficial crop and an exploiting one [Castellazzi MS, et al., 2008] Use of intensive cropping system like sequencing crops in defined patterns based on scientific knowledge is extremely important [Fisseha N, Tewodros M ,2014]

Background to cropping sequencing • yields of crops grown in continuous monoculture decline as a result of a build-up of soil or stubble-borne disease that is specific to that crop species.

• This problem can be overcome in some cases by the use of varieties that are resistant to the disease, but for some soil- diseases there is no current genetic resistance

• Chemical control is usually not economical so that the only control strategy for these diseases is to grow a non-host or break crop that is not infected by the disease, so that the levels of disease in the soil are reduced prior to the next wheat crop Crop rotation of this sort has been practiced thousands of years

How to Find an suitable sequence crop?

The Crop Sequence Calculator is an way to compare crop sequence options.

The way is based on trial results and historic data from past • Can farmers readily grow the crop?

Do they have the tools, knowledge and skills?

• Is there an accessible market for the product?

• Break crops must be adapted to the soils and climate of the area and be accompanied by a good agronomic management package if they are to be adopted successfully by farmers • Is the crop as profitable as the wheat crop it replaces?

• Will there be other benefits to productivity of the whole farm in the longer-term?

what are advantages of sequential cropping?

• It produces a variety of crops • legume improves the soil fertility • rotation helps reduce pest and weed problems • The residues from one strip can be used as soil cover for neighboring strips • cropping sequences is possibly effected by socioeconomic and environmental conditions

• Crop sequencing, highlights positive synergistic interactions between crops, increases rainfall utilization efficiency and reduces potential pest problems • Crop sequences under no till affect the quantity, quality and permanence of crop residues, scope of fallow periods, and distribution and type of root systems

• sequential cropping allows time for the decomposition of residue on which pathogens carryover and natural competitive organisms reduce the pathogens on the remaining residue although unrelated crops are being grown • sequential cropping increases quantity of agricultural residues such as triticale straw which is left on the field to decompose

• Control erosion and to maximize crop yield by maintain soil moisture and control disease and pests infestation • Crop rotation combines wit the management practices are essential to improve physical, chemical, biological properties of the soil

• Crop rotation combines with different management practices are essential to control erosion and to maximize crop yield by maintain soil moisture and control disease and pests infestation • Crop sequence and the choice of tillage method had a combined effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration( Ansa Palojärvi2020)

• Tillage System and Crop Sequence Affect Soil Disease Supper fact and Carbon Status • The conditions for soil microbial communities can be manipulated by the choice of appropriate tillage and crop sequence system

• Non-inversion methods, and the no-tillage management, were shown to change the vertical distribution of carbon fractions and microbial biomass carbon in the soil surface layer • In modern farming, simple crop sequence, conventional tillage, and cultivation of only a limited number of crop varieties favor the increased incidence and severity of diseases caused by necrotrophic soil-borne pathogens (Cha et al., 2016)

Interaction in sequential cropping • competition for light water and nutrient as seen in mixed crop communities does not happen when sole crops are grown in sequence • In relay cropping where there is a short span of overlapping between two crops in sequence the relay sown crop may have competition for light from the standing crop resulting in lanky growth of seedling

• The competition can be minimized by proper choice of crops and varieties and adjustment of time and method of planting

Impact of cropping sequence • The cropping sequence had a significant effect on mean yield, with significantly higher yields for first wheat in rotation compared with continuous wheat crops, this yield benefit clearly reduced the yield risk in this current study, which was lower (in all fertilization treatments) for the first wheat crop in the rotation than for continuous wheat crops (J. Macholdt,et al.,2020)

• Some studies have found that wheat interannual yield variability was not affected by growing wheat continuously, or did not differ among cropping systems, as a consequence of the high production ability of wheat in the long-term (Procházková et al., 2017)

[ Dogan et al., 2008] concluded that crop rotation is more advantages in Turkey than monocultures experiments in sunflower-wheat-pea

Yields of wheat grown after a 2-year break (break crops: fallow-potato or oat-maize) were larger than yields of continuous wheat, almost certainly because the effects of soil-borne pests and diseases, particularly take-all root disease

Sequential cropping to produce additional, low risk biogas feedstocks can be introduced in a truly sustainable manner, meaning low pollution risk, and enhancing soil quality, low impact on water availability and no negative impact on farm biodiversity

• In modern farming, simple crop sequence, conventional tillage, and cultivation of only a limited number of crop varieties favor the increased incidence and severity of diseases caused by necrotrophic soil-borne pathogens (Cha et al., 2016)

Summary

– In a three-year study with a fixed three crop-rotation (cotton–sorghum–finger millet) raised under zero tillage conditions with chemical weed control, weeds became a major problem after the second year and was difficult to control (Palaniappan, 1988) – In the sorghum–cotton cropping sequence, application of atrazine (0.25 kg ha−1) in sorghum and pendimethalin (1.0 kg ha−1) in cotton was effective for control of broadleaved weeds

Summer rice/bean/cotton rotation increased soil K levels at depth 0-10 cm when sun hemp and oilseed radish were previously grown in the winter, and at 0-2.5 cm for millet cropping(Adol,fo Valente Marcelo,et al.,2009) Higher maize yields were observed in succession to oilseed radish, millet and pigeon pea grown in the winter. For rice, yields were lower when grown after sorghum.

• (Jenkyn, et al.,2001) found in a 5-year

experiment that straw incorporation decreased wheat yields only in the first year, mainly attributed to decreases in available N, but then no effect in the subsequent years due to demineralized N and thus available to support the decomposition of the straw.

The result of experiment indicated that leaf spot diseases on spring wheat were impacted by crop sequencing Spring wheat following crop sequences with alternative crops for 1 or 2 yr had lower levels of disease severity compared with a continuous spring wheat treatment [Joseph MK, et al.2007] Proper crop sequences lengthen the time between susceptible crops in order that pathogen populations have time to decline.

The greatest negative consequence of cropping systems involving mainly row crops is soil erosion(Carter, 1994)

Margin of sequence cropping

Thank you for your kind listening Dr. Ali and my colleagues