A mathematical programming procedure for selecting crops for mixed-cropping schemes

We have developed a new solution procedure for a mathematical — linear programming (LP) — model that can be optimized to obtain an optimum crop combination for a mixed-cropping scheme. Unlike two earlier solution procedures for this model, the new procedure does not involve the enumeration of all possible crop combinations or crop-subgroups obtainable from any set of crops under consideration for mixed-cropping. This makes it far more efficient. Instead of formulating and solving all LP problems associated with all possible crop-subgroups — as in one of the existing procedures — the new procedure formulates and solves a few LP problems with respect to a few crop-subgroups selected systematically. Many hypothetical crop-selection problems are simulated and solved to demonstrate the superiority of the procedure over the existing ones.