AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

CROP ROTATION

The system of rotation of crops and the pattern of cropping vary from soil to soil, depending upon irrigation and other facilities available in the district. The cultivators generally grow cotton crop on heavy soils during the first year, jowar during second year and during the third year, sometimes it is left fallow in the kharif season and wheat or gram is grown in the rabi season.

The deep-rooted crops like cotton are rotated with shallow-rooted crops such as jowar, wheat and groundnut in this district. Some¬times the non-leguminous crops like cotton, jowar and wheat are rotated with the leguminous crops such as groundnut, mug, chavli, tur, etc. The roots of the deep-rooted crops penetrate into the soil to a depth of 9" to 18". If the cultivation of deep-rooted crops is continued year after year on the same land, the soils are required so as to achieve the twin objectives, viz., using fully available plant nutrients in the soil till a particular depth up to which the roots penetrate are depleted. The cultivator being familiar with this phenomenon rotates deep-rooted crops with shallow rooted crops so as to achieve the twin objectives, viz., using fully available plant food present in the soil without allowing the soils to deteriorate in fertility. Leguminous crops such as groundnut, sann, tur, mug etc., have nodules all over their roots. The nodules contain nitrogen fixing bacteria. They fix the nitrogen directly from the air into the soil. Thus the leguminous crops leave behind them manurial value beneficial to the subsequent crop and also improve the fertility and texture of the soil.

Generally rotation of crops commonly observed on medium types of soils comprises cotton crop during first year, jowar during second year and groundnut or mug during third year. Sometimes the heavy and medium types of soils as also lighter types of soils have four-fold crop rotation. Most of the cultivators in this district do not follow the method of rotation of crops but grow cotton continuously because of its high price. Where irrigation facilities are available in the district cotton is followed by groundnut in kharif season and by wheat in the rabi season. It is known as the double cropping system. Another system of crop rotation is followed on heavier types of soils. Cultivators keep the land fallow during kharif season, prepare it during the rainy season whenever there is a break of rains and grow wheat crop in rabi season. During the second year, cotton crop is grown on the same soil.

Various other crop combinations are in vogue with the culti¬vators. Tur, mug, udid and bajra are seldom grown as a main crop. They are usually produced as a catch crop with other main crops. Tur is generally produced as a border crop with cotton. After every eighth and twelfth row of cotton, tur is sown. Either mug or udid is sown in alternate lines with jowar. Sometimes mug and udid seed are mixed with jowar and then sown. Mug or udid crops get ready for harvest within two or three months. It is harvested earlier and jowar crop is left behind for its full growth. In this case, farmer gets mug or udid crop as a catch crop.

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