Mixed cropping:

• It aims to minimise risk of crop failure.
• Seeds of two crops are mixed before sowing.
• In this method there is a difficulty of fertilizer application to individual crops.
• Spraying for pest control to individual crop is difficult.
• It involves no set pattern of rows of crops.
• Harvesting and threshing of crops separately not possible.

Intercropping

• It aims to increase productivity per unit area.
• Seeds of two crops are not mixed.
• In intercropping fertilizer can be placed as per need of the crops.
• Pesticides can be easily applied to individual crop.
• It involves set patterns of rows of crops.
• Marketing and consumption of only mixed produce is possible.
• Both crops can be easily harvested and threshed separately.
• Product of each crop can be marketed and consumed separately.

Advantages of mixed cropping:

(i) It reduces the risk of crop failure due to monsoon stress.

(ii) Pest infestation of crops is greatly reduced.

(iii) It increases the soil fertility.

(iv) It increases the yield of both the crops due to complementary effect of each crop.

Advantages of intercropping:

(i) It increases the yield of crops.

(ii) Pesticides can be applied to the crops with great ease.

(iii) Soil erosion is effectively reduced.

(iv) The produce of each crop can be marketed and consumed separately.