Advantages of Inter-Cropping:
- Efficient Resource Use – Different crops utilize soil nutrients, water, and sunlight at varying levels, ensuring minimal wastage and better productivity.
- Pest and Disease Control – Since different crops repel different pests, inter-cropping reduces the spread of insects and diseases, lowering the need for chemical pesticides.
- Higher Yield – Growing multiple crops together increases total productivity, as crops complement each other in resource use and space occupation.
- Improves Soil Fertility – Leguminous plants (like peas and beans) fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, making it more fertile for the next crop cycle.
- Risk Management – If one crop is damaged due to disease, pests, or climatic conditions, the other crop may still survive, ensuring that farmers do not face complete losses.
Advantages of Crop Rotation:
- Maintains Soil Fertility – Different crops have different nutrient needs. Rotating crops prevents soil depletion and maintains fertility for long-term farming.
- Reduces Pests and Diseases – Pests and diseases that target one crop do not survive when a different crop is grown in the next season, reducing infestation and the need for pesticides.
- Improves Soil Structure – Deep-rooted crops improve soil aeration and water retention, while shallow-rooted crops help prevent soil erosion and compaction.
- Enhances Productivity – Balanced nutrient usage and natural soil enrichment lead to sustainable and increased crop yields over time.
- Controls Weeds Naturally – Different crops suppress weed growth by occupying space and nutrients, reducing dependency on chemical herbicides and manual weeding.
