Question

After red gram, maize and corn are cultivated because___________
A)They increase fertility of soil
B)They fix $N_2$ in soil
C)They enhance growth of plant
D)They prevents disease caused by spotted bollworm

Answer 1

Hint: Intercropping is an all-encompassing term for the practice of growing two or more crops in close proximity: within the same row or bed, or in rows or strips that are close enough for biological interaction. Mixed cropping, companion planting, relay cropping, interseeding, overseeding, underseeding, smother cropping, planting polycultures, and using living mulch are all sorts of intercropping.

Complete answer:
Intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the identical field. It also means the growing of two or more crops on the identical field with the planting of the second crop after the primary one has completed its development. The rationale behind intercropping is that the various crops planted are unlikely to share the identical insect pests and diseases-causing pathogens and to conserve the soil.

Types of intercropping practices:

1.Mixed or multiple cropping- Cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the identical field without a row arrangement.
2.Relay cropping- Growing of two or more crops on the identical field with the planting of the second crop after the primary one has completed its development.
3.Row intercropping- Cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the identical field with a row arrangement.
4.Strip cropping- Cultivation of various crops in alternate strips of uniform width and on the identical field. It's two types; contour agriculture and field farming. Contour husbandry follows a layout of a particular rotational sequence and therefore the tillage is held closely to the precise contour of the sector. Field husbandry has strips with uniform width that follows across the overall slope of the land.

Advantages:
1.Reduces the insect/mite pest populations due to the variety of the crops grown. When other crops are present within the field, the insect/mite pests are confused
2.Reduces the plant diseases. The gap between plants of the identical species is increased because other crops (belonging to a special family group) are planted in between.
3.Reduces hillside erosion and protects topsoil, especially the contour husbandry.
4.Attracts more beneficial insects, especially when flowering crops are included the cropping system
5.Minimizes labor cost on the control of weeds. A combination of varied crops gives often a higher coverage of the soil leaving less space for the event of weeds.
6.Utilizes the farm area more efficiently. Ends up in potential increase for total production and farm profitability than when the identical crops are grown separately.
7.Provides 2 or more different food crops for the farm family in one cropping season.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A)

Note: Intercropping also poses a special problem for crop rotation. One fundamentals of crop rotation is the separation of plant families in time. This can be critical for management of diseases and, to a lesser extent, insects. If plants from two families are mixed within the same bed or field, however, achieving a considerable suspension before replanting either of these families could also be difficult.