what is the difference between multiple cropping and intercropping?

Mixed cropping or multiple croping is the technique wherein two or more crops are sown simultaneously on the same land, without any definite pattern. This system minimizes the risk of crop failure. Crop combinations grown in this manner include wheat and gram, wheat and mustard, and groundnut and sunflower. 

The crops selected to be grown together are such that their products and waste materials benefit one another. For example, if wheat is grown along with a leguminous crop such as gram, then the uptake of nitrogen from the soil by the wheat crop is compensated through the addition of nitrogen to the soil by the leguminous crop.

Mixed cropping not only increases soil fertility but also improves crop productivity.

 

Intercropping is the process wherein two or more crops are grown simultaneously in the same field in a definite pattern. In this process, a few rows of one crop alternate with a few rows of another crop. Crop combinations grown in this way include cauliflower and spinach, soya bean and maize, and bajra and lobia. 

The crops grown together are such that their nutrient requirements are different. This ensures that the crops do not compete for the same nutrients, which in turn allows maximum utilization of the applied nutrients by each individual crop. 

Intercropping helps prevent the spread of pests and diseases throughout the field. It also reduces soil erosion.