Multiple cropping in arecanut plantations

Growing of crops in association with arecanut and coconut is an age old practice. Venation structure and orientation of fronds permits adequate solar radiation falling on the fronds to percolate below facilitating multiple cropping.
Rooting pattern of palms also provides scope for taking up of component crops either as intercrop or as mixed crop. However, these crops are to be adequately and separately manured in addition to the manures applied for arecanut.
Considering the
• long pre bearing age of 5 to 8 years in arecanut,
  
• the low in come in the early period of bearing and
  
• the fluctuation in the market prices of arecanut from year to year,

it is worth to take up inter cropping in the plantation. The practice helps the arecanut growers to get additional income and to cover the risk of poor yields from arecanut resulting from unfavorable weather conditions and incidence of pest and diseases.

The choice of intercrops depend on its ability to tolerate shade and to withstand the heavy dripping from arecanut palm during monsoon showers. Crops grown as associated mixed/intercrop should result in minimum competition with arecanut for their nutrient requirements. Several crops are reported as component crop with arecanut in a plantation under different agroclimatic conditions
Multiple Cropping: When it is referring to plantation crops it denotes growing more than one annual and or perennial crops in the inter space of main crop.
Intercropping: As applied to plantation crops refers in growing of annuals or biennials in the inter space of main crop. Eg Turmeric, ginger, elephant foot yam, tapioca, dioscorea, sweet potato etc are grown in areca based intercropping systems :
Mixed cropping: As applied to plantation crops refers to growing of perennials along with the main crop. Eg of arecanut based mixed cropping systems: Banana, cocoa, pepper, betel vine,
Multi storeyed cropping: Refers to the compatible combination of crops having varying morphological frame and rooting habits, grown together in such a way that, their canopies intercept solar energy at varying heights and the roots forage the soil mass at different zones/depths. Eg of arecanut based multistoreyed cropping systems:
Nurse crop: Are annuals or perennials grown during the early years of plantation crops with a view to product them against scoring wind or frost damages. Eg. Banana crop grown in the initial stage of arecanut plantation.