Certain plants like coconut, arecanut are grown for about 50 years in a particular land. It takes nearly 4-7 years for the above trees to reach the bearing stage.
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Adequate alley spaces (nearly 75%) are available in between these trees and being the palm trees, their root system will not also spread beyond one metre in diametre.
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Hence these vacant spaces can be utilised profitably for raising other crops, thereby increasing the employment opportunity and profit. This is the chief objective of multitier system of cropping.
Inter cropping and mixed cropping involving jointly in it and is defined as a compatible comparison of crops having vaiying morphological frames and rooting habits, grown together in such a manner that their canopies intercept solar energy at varying heights and their roots forage, at different depth.
The main principle here is land, water and sunlight should be effectively used.
An ideal combination of crops for multitier cropping in coconut and arecanut plantations are given.
| Tier | Crop |
| First (Top) | Coconut or arecanut |
| Second | Pepper trained over the trunk of coconut trees |
| Third | Cocoa or cloves planted at the centre of four arecanut or coconut trees. |
| Fourth (ground) | Pine apple, ginger and dwarf coffee |