Plantation Crops

cropping in coconut

Multicropping in coconut

Multiple cropping in coconut
• Coconut as a monocrop does not fully utilize the basic resources such as soil and sunlight available in the plantation.
• Based on the growth habit of the palm and the amount of light transmitted through its canopy, the life span of coconut palm could be divided into three distinct phases from the point of view of intercropping.
• Young Plantation Up to 10 years: From the time of planting till the development of canopy; In this situation there will be good light transmission initially but decreases with age. Suggested to go for inter cropping with annuals or biennials.
• Middle aged palms palms (9 t0 25 years) / Intense shaded situation: Maximum ground coverage ( 80 %) and canopy at lower height due to shorter trunk, Poor light availability. At this stage it is not suitable to grow other crops in the interspaces of the plantation.
• Grown up palms ( > 25 years): Gradual increase in the magnitude of light penetration to the ground ; and decrease in the apparent coverage of canopy. The trunk will be taller and this situation is ideal for raising annual and or perennial crops.

INTERCROPPING
• It refers to the cultivation of annuals or biennials in the interspaces of coconut.
• Eg.
  

  1)Tropical Tuber crops like tapioca, elephant foot yam, sweet potato, colocasia, greater yam, lesser yam,
  2) Rhizome spice crops: Ginger and turmeric
  3) Cereals: Upland rice varieties, Maize, pearl millet, finger millet ( Eleusine corecana),
  4) Vegetable: in maidan areas of Karnataka= Chillies, potato, French beans,
  Kasaragod (Coastal tract) conditions = Coccinia, snake gourd, bottle gourd, amaranthus, brinjal, bitter gourd,
  5) Pulses =Cowpea, black gram, green gram, red gram, Bengal gram, soya bean, in maidan tracts of Karnataka. Under Kerala conditions it is horse gram, cow pea, green gram, and black gram,
  6) Oil seeds : ground nut,
  7) Fruit crops: Banana and pine apple. Papaya can also can be intercropped with coconut.
  8) Floriculture: Orchids, anthuriums, and other cut flowers and ornamentals can be successfully grown in coconut plantation.
  9) Medicinal and aromatic plants: Lemon grass, Kacholam, dioscorea, arrow root, sida, hippali (Long pepper), neela amari, Patcholi (Pogostemon , ) adapathiyan,

MIXED CROPPING
• Growing of perennial crops in association with coconut palm is referred to as coconut based mixed cropping.
• Eg. Cocoa, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, betel vine, jack, bread fruit, cardamom, coffee, vanilla and mango

HIGH DENSITY MULTISPECIES CROPPING SYSTEM (HDMSCS)
• High Density Multispecies Cropping System (Hdmscs) involves growing of large number of crops to meet the diverse needs of the farmer such as food, fuel, timber, fodder and cash.
• HDMSCS is the system where a number of crops are grown in high plant density in unit area of land. This system includes annuals, biennials, and perennials. The HDMSCS model developed involves crops viz., mango, bread fruit, jack, nutmeg, clove, sapota, acid lime, guava, pepper, subabul, banana, pineapple, papaya, coffee, elephant foot yam, cococasia, and cassava ( 17 crops were included).
• The annual crops (except banana) were withdrawn from the system in stages as the perennials grow. Some of the perennials like acid lime, sapota, mango, guava, pepper, subabul, papaya and coffee were also removed as their performance was not satisfactory.
• HDMSCS aims at to meet the diverse needs of the farmer such as food, fuel, timber, fodder and cash.