1. Cropping pattern means the proportion of area under various crop at a point of time. Cropping pattern is, however, a dynamic concept as it changes over space and time.
2. The cropping pattern of a region are closely influenced by geo-climatic, socio-cultural, economic, historical and political factors. The physical environment imposes limit on the growth and distribution of plants and animals.
3. Depending upon the terrain, slope, topography, temperature, amount and reliability of rainfall, soil and availability of water for irrigation, cropping patterns vary from region to region
4. Cropping pattern of a region or areial unit may be determined on the basis of areial strength of individual crops. The first, second and third ranking crops of an aerial unit may be called as the dominant crop of that unit. These crops occupying more or less the same percentage of the total cropped area, shall be competing for area with each other and the farmers will decide which crop may fetch him more profit in a given year under the prevailing rainfall and demand, supply and commodity price and condition. In general, for the determination of cropping pattern of a region, the minor crops (crops occupying insignificant proportion of the total cropped area) are eliminated.
5. Apart from the proportion of area under a particular crop, its relative yield also guides the suitability of that crop grown in a given geo climatic and cultural setting. The relative yield index and relative spread index may be calculated by applying the following formulae:

$\text{Relative Yield Index} = \frac{\text{Mean yield of the crop in a component areal unit}}{\text{Mean yield of total area } \times \text{ 100}}$

$\text{Relative Spread Index} = \frac{\text{Area of the crop expressed in percentage of the total cultivated area in the areal unit}}{\text{Area of the expressed in percentage of the total cultivated land in The entire region} \times \text{100}}$

On the basis of these indices the suitability of crops grown in a region may be ascertained.

1. The suitability of crop and the cropping pattern may be judged on the basis of the following:

• The crop should not accentuate certain diseases as a result of fixed continuous rotation.

• The crop should not exhaust on some specific plant nutrient from a particular depth of soil

• The crop should be fertility building and soil improving.

• The crop should fetch handsome return to the cultivator and should provide the farmers employment and income all the year round. Moreover, the crop should ensure the optimum utilization of its resources, particularly inputs like irrigation water, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, equipment’s power and family labour.

The importance of adoption of suitable cropping patterns in a developing country like India cannot be overemphasized. The horizontal expansion of agriculture is not possible without heavy capital investment. Only judicious utilization of land by adopting more remunerative cropping patterns, scientific rotation of crops and multiple cropping may help in overcoming the food and raw material problems of the country. The change in the cropping pattern and introduction of crops which enhance the soil fertility are imperative to make agriculture more remunerative and sustainable.