•Intercropping potato and legume improved productivity compared to pure stand.•Optimum population ratio of potato to legume was 1:2.4.•Yield loss decreased with an increasing proportion of ...legumes.•The intercropped potato was more aggressive in utilizing available resources than intercropped legume.•Intercropping potato and legume resulted in higher economic returns than pure stands.
Intercropping is gaining popularity in developing countries as a viable strategy for diversifying cropping systems to ease food insecurity, given that arable land is shrinking, and demand for food crops is increasing due to rapid population growth. A field experiment was conducted in 2015 and 2016, to examine the biological and economic viability of two intercropping systems (potato-dolichos and potato-bean planted in two potatoes to legume population density ratios: 1.1:2 and 1: 2.4) and their corresponding pure stands. Intercropping systems were also evaluated based on five competition indices: relative crowding coefficient (K), aggressivity (A), competitive ratio (CR), intercropping advantage (IA) and actual yield loss (AYL). Although biological feasibility revealed that intercropping decreased the yield of intercrops compared with respective monocultures; the economic assessment of different cropping systems indicated that intercropping resulted in a higher remuneration (gross and net income) than pure stands. Intercropping potato with a high population of legume (in 1: 2.4 patterns), resulted in not only higher system productivity but also potato equivalent yield compared to 1.1:2. Intercropping proved to be advantageous with AYL decreasing with increasing proportion of the legumes, whereas IA increased as the population of legumes increased. With regard to competition between the intercrops, the potato was more aggressive (A of potato was positive, and its CR > 1) in all cropping systems, and it dominated over legume (that had negative A values and CR < 1). Aggressivity and dominance capacity was higher in 1: 2.4 than 1.1:2 series. These results suggest that potato-legume intercropping may provide viable intensification options, especially for smallholder farmers.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Cereal-grain legume intercropping significantly improve yield stability compared to sole crop production.•Higher yield level increases yield stability in crop production.•A replacement design in ...intercropping gives significantly higher yield stability than an additive design.•Cereal intercropping with legumes significantly reduces the high instability of cereal yields in tropical regions.
The adverse effects of climate change are significantly decreasing yield levels and yield stability over time in current monocropping systems. Intercropping (IC), i.e. growing more than one species simultaneously in the same field, often increases resource use efficiency and agricultural productivity compared with growing the component crops solely and can enhance yield stability. This meta-analysis of published IC literature quantified and analysed yield stability in IC compared with the respective sole crops, focusing on the effect of intercrop components (e.g. cereal-grain legume, non-cereal-grain legume), experimental patterns (e.g. experiment over years, experiment over locations), IC design (e.g. additive and replacement) and climatic zone (e.g. tropical, subtropical, and temperate). In total, 33 articles were analysed. The coefficient of variation (%CV) of yields was used for assessing yield stability, with lower CV value indicating higher yield stability. The analysis showed that cereal-grain legume IC (CV=22.1) significantly increased yield stability compared with the respective grain legume sole crops (CV=31.7). Moreover, compared with the respective cereal and legume sole crops, IC in the cereal-grain legume systems gave higher yield stability than IC in the non-cereal-grain legume systems. Compared with the respective cereal (CV=25.3) and legume (CV=30.3) sole crops, IC (CV=19.1) in a replacement design had significantly (P<0.05) higher yield stability. Also intercropping in replacement design gave more stable yields than IC in an additive design. In tropical regions, cereal sole crops (CV=26.3) showed lower yield stability than IC (CV=17.7) and legume sole crops (CV=21.7). However, IC in all climatic zones showed higher yield stability than both sole crops. Moreover in our analysis, it was found that a higher yield level provided higher yield stability in crop production. Thus, increasing crop diversification through IC of cereals and grain legumes can enhance yield stability and food security, making an important contribution to eco-functional, ecological or sustainable intensification of global food production.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The last decades brought along a tremendous expansion of rubber plantations as well as respective socio-economic transformations. This paper reviews the historical development of rubber cultivation ...with special reference to intercropping and illustrates the major development steps. The agronomic challenges of intercropping are analyzed and a management classification scheme is suggested. Though the topic of labor always accompanied rubber management, it is nowadays of even higher relevance due to alternative income options, be it due to competing crops such as oil palm, or be it off-farm income opportunities. This development challenges labor intensive permanent intercropping systems. It can thus be concluded that the permanent integration of additional plants needs either to be highly profitable or at least be labor extensive to be adopted on a considerable scale. Given the large area of rubber plantations the latter seems to be more realistic. In this context timber trees might offer promising options if tree selection is properly adapted to site and plantation conditions. Nevertheless, without external interventions, such as land-use planning and implementation, or incentives, the development will be difficult to control.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
To achieve “production while remediation” in arsenic (As) -contaminated farmlands, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of five Pteris vittata L. (PV) - maize intercropping ...modes on the growth, nutrient, and As accumulation characteristics of PV and maize. The intercropping increased the As content of PV by 2.9%–132.0% and decreased the As content in maize shoots by 15.5%–37.0%. Total As accumulation in above-ground plant parts reached 202.03–941.97 g hm−2. Intercropping also improved nitrogen and phosphorus content in maize kernels by 27.6%–124.7% and 15.9%–31.5%, respectively. Additionally, intercropping increased maize kernel 100-grain weight by 10.0%–16.6% and resulted in a 1.1%–24.1% increase in maize yield compared to sole cultivation. The intercropping transformed soil As from iron-bound to calcium-bound and aluminum-bound forms. Analysis of soil microbial diversity showed that the intercropping decreases the abundance of Chloroflexi and increases the abundance of Proteobacteria. Among the five modes, the intercropping mode with 4 rows of maize and 4 rows of PV showed the highest remediation efficiency and mechanized operation. These findings contribute to a theoretical framework and technical support for the simultaneous soil pollution remediation and productive farming practices.
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•Intercropping increased PV's arsenic (As) accumulation while reducing As content in maize.•Intercropping enhanced N and P content in maize kernels, leading to higher 100-grain weight and overall maize yield.•The intercropping mode with wide and narrow rows of maize and interleaved double rows of PV had the highest maize yield.•The intercropping mode with 4 rows of maize and 4 rows of PV showed the highest remediation efficiency.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Sustainable intensification is considered an efficient alternative to conventional agriculture to feed a growing population while maintaining and benefitting the environment. Intercropping is one of ...the most studied practices to obtain production gains and other ecosystem services. Most intercrops involve legumes and cereals, but other species combinations should be explored to further increase the diversity of intercropping systems. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.; Polygonaceae) is an emerging minor crop which is gaining attention in alternative intercropping systems.This review provides a comprehensive view of the state of the art on the role of buckwheat as a companion crop in arable cropping systems. Despite buckwheat being well-known for its weed-suppressive ability, intercropping using buckwheat for weed control has received little attention. Few crops have so far been considered in relation to the introduction of buckwheat in annual cropping systems. This review uncovers a largely untapped research field involving buckwheat. The research perspectives are multiple as buckwheat consumption is increasing and its attractive flower resources and rapid growth offer the provision of several agro-ecosystem services that directly and indirectly benefit crop yield stability.
•Intercropping is one of the most studied practices to promote sustainable intensification.•Buckwheat is a minor crop with documented weed suppressing abilities and attractive flower resources.•Intercropping with buckwheat has received little attention, although the existing literature reports positive findings.
Intercropping has historically been employed as an efficient management strategy to prevent disease outbreaks. Our previous studies indicated that intercropping of peanut with the Chinese medicinal ...herb, Atractylodes lancea effectively suppressed soil-borne peanut diseases, resulting in increased peanut yields. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. In this study, the below ground effects of A. lancea on both fungal and bacterial communities in the peanut rhizosphere were investigated using pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) and16S rRNA gene amplicons, respectively. Closed cultivation systems were constructed to investigate the role of volatiles and exudates originating from rhizomes and roots of A. lancea on fungal and bacterial communities. Intercropping with A. lancea significantly altered fungal community composition in the peanut rhizosphere, coinciding with decline of Fusarium root rot and improvement of peanut growth. Volatiles originating from A. lancea rhizome material had more effects on fungal communities than on bacterial communities, and significantly suppressed F. oxysporum growth. Root exudates of A. lancea had no apparent inhibitory effect on F. oxysporum. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed 21 volatiles originating from A. lancea rhizome material and terpenes and aromatic hydrocarbons were the most common types. Our results suggest that A. lancea suppressed pathogenic Fusarium populations by means of volatiles from the rhizome. Our results support the idea that intercropping with A. lancea or use of its effective components has a strong potential for managing soil-borne fungal diseases.
•Reduction of peanut root rot by A. lancea coincided with a decline of Fusarium spp.•Soil fungal community composition was more affected than bacteria by A. lancea volatiles.•A. lancea volatiles suppressed in vitro growth of Fusarium spp.•A. lancea volatiles decreased Fusarium spp. propagule density in soil.•Many antifungal substances were detected among the A. lancea rhizome volatiles.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•Intercropping increased the soil nutrients and enzyme activities of proso millet.•The effect of intercropping on the soil bacterial diversity was larger than fungi.•Intercropping decreased the ...dominant bacterial abundance of Actinobacteria.•Intercropping did not markedly change the fungal community compositions.•The soil temperature and bulk density contribute more to the bacterial community.
Cereal-legume intercropping has been widely used to increase productivity and achieve sustainable development in modern agricultural systems. However, there has been few studies of intercropping in minor grain crops, and we therefore designed an experiment to monitor rhizosphere soil properties, enzyme activities, and the microbial community diversity of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) under proso millet /mung bean intercropping systems on the Loess Plateau of China, and a sole planting was used as a control. Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and ITS gene was used to analyze soil microbial (bacterial and fungal) diversity and composition. The results showed that the rhizosphere soil nutrient contents and enzyme activities were higher under intercropping patterns with significant correlations being observed. The physical properties were also changed, including the soil water content, bulk density, and soil temperature. The effect of intercropping patterns on bacterial diversity was larger than that on fungal diversity, especially alpha diversity, although both groups were markedly affected by intercropping patterns. Actinobacteria was the most abundant bacterial phylum, which was decreased by 32.37% under intercropping. Other phylum species, including Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, and Firmicutes were also markedly affected by intercropping patterns. For the dominant fungal phyla, Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Basidiomycota did not respond substantially to intercropping patterns. Binding spatial ordination analysis demonstrated that soil temperature and bulk density for bacteria and total nitrogen and nitrate contents for fungi contribute more to the microbial community than the other investigated soil parameters, whereas the soil enzyme activities played the same roles in bacteria and fungi. Overall, these results suggest that intercropping alters soil microbial community composition, and the soil bacteria reflect changes in soil properties and enzyme activities better than fungi. Meanwhile, these findings also provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of biodiversity in the agro-ecosystems functioning.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
► Yields did not differ between mono-crops and intercrops for both coffee types. ► Intercrops had higher banana yields than mono-crops in Arabica growing region. ► Intercrops had lower banana yields ...than mono-crops in Robusta growing region. ► Intercropping is agronomically and economically more beneficial than, mono-cropping.
Coffee and banana are major cash and food crops, respectively, for many smallholders in the East African highlands. Uganda is the largest banana producer and 2nd largest coffee producer in Africa. Both crops are predominantly grown as monocultures. However, coffee–banana intercropping is common in densely populated areas. This study assessed the profitability of intercropped coffee–banana systems compared to mono-cropped systems in regions growing Arabica (Mt. Elgon) and Robusta (south and west) coffee in Uganda. The study was carried out in 152 plots in 2006/2007. Data were collected through structured farmer interviews, field measurements and observations. Coffee yields did not differ significantly (
P
⩽
0.05) between mono-crops and intercrops. Arabica coffee yields were 1.23 and 1.18
t
ha
−1
year
−1 of green beans in mono-cropped and intercropped plots, respectively. Robusta yields averaged 1.25 and 1.09
t
ha
−1
year
−1 of green beans in mono-crops and intercrops, respectively. Banana yields were significantly higher (
P
⩽
0.05) in intercrops (20.19
t
ha
−1
year
−1) compared with mono-crops (14.82
t
ha
−1
year
−1) in Arabica growing region. In Robusta growing region, banana yields were significantly lower (
P
⩽
0.05) in intercrops (8.89
t
ha
−1
year
−1) compared with mono-crops (15.04
t
ha
−1
year
−1). Marginal rate of returns of adding banana to mono-cropped coffee was 911% and 200% in Arabica and Robusta growing regions, respectively. Fluctuations in coffee prices are not likely to affect the acceptability of intercrops when compared with coffee mono-crops in both regions, but an increase in wage rates by 100% can make intercropping unacceptable in Robusta growing region. This study showed that coffee–banana intercropping is much more beneficial than banana or coffee mono-cropping and that agricultural intensification of food and cash crops in African smallholder systems should not solely depend on the mono-crop pathway.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Soil and climatic conditions limit forage production in semi-arid environments. Planting crops adapted to these elements, combined with management practices such as intercropping and irrigation, can ...ensure the sustainability of animal feed.
The aim of this study was to evaluate growth, forage productivity, soil water balance, water indices and the indices of biological efficiency, competitive ability, and economic return in a dense crop of forage cactus, grasses, and legumes under single and intercropping systems in a semi-arid environment.
The study was carried out from 2020 to 2022 in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. The plants used were the ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ (OEM) clone of the forage cactus, pigeon pea (‘crioula’), millet (‘Bulk-01’) and sorghum (‘SF15’). A randomised block design was adopted, with three repetitions, including single crops of the forage cactus, sorghum, millet and pigeon pea, as well as the cactus intercropped with pigeon pea, millet and sorghum. Biometrics and biomass were checked to determine morpho-physiological indices, phenology, cutting time, biological efficiency and competitive ability. The soil moisture was also monitored, and the soil water balance quantified. The water indices and economic return were then calculated.
Growth rates and phenology were not affected by intercropping, only by the cutting time. During the first season, the single sorghum and cactus-pigeon pea system showed a variation in soil water storage of 26 mm, while during the second season, the single cactus stored 66.74 mm. The actual evapotranspiration ranged from 1109 in the cactus-millet system to 1152 mm in the single cactus and millet (1st season), and from 1510 in the single cactus to 1570 mm in the sorghum (2nd season). The cactus-sorghum system was the most productive, with 460.53 Mg FM ha−1 and 43.55 Mg DM ha−1 in season one, while in season two, the single cactus obtained 237.64 Mg FM ha−1 and 26.71 Mg DM ha−1. Intercropping promotes more productive stability and feed diversity, as well as greater biological efficiency, competitive ability and economic return.
Understanding the changes that exist in a intercropping system is important, especially in semi-arid regions, since these have distinct characteristics that impact the development of crops. Thus, this work contributes comprehensively to resilient practices for the semi-arid, seeking to ensure the sustainability of the intercropping systems and understand the interrelationship between species from the management adopted.
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•The phenology and growth of the forage cactus were not influenced by intercropping, only the moment of cut.•Monocultures stored larger volumes of water in the soil.•Sorghum ‘SF15’ is the secondary crop with the highest productive potential, either in monoculture or in intercropping.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Broccoli (Brassica oleracia L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were part of horticultural commodities that can be consumed and contain a lot of vitamins, such as vitamins A, B Complex, C, and ...essential minerals such as calcium and iron for fulfilling human nutrition. Lettuce plants can also be consumed as salad. The demand for horticultural crops, broccoli and lettuce, was increasing because people awareness on nutritional needs arise. Besides, these plants are also delicious. Intercropping pattern used by farmers on Jalan Kayu Ambon, Lembang District, West Bandung Regency was a form of mixed cropping pattern system that involve two or more types of plants in the same area and the same time. This intercropping pattern can maximize production in a limited land, and the risk of loss can be reduced. The objective of this research was to find out cost, revenue and the R/C ratio of the intercropping system of broccoli and lettuce.The method of the research was the survey method. The data consist of the primary and secondary data. The primary collected directly from the farmer. Meanwhile the secondary data collected from literature and any institutions that related to this research. The farmer was Bapak Jajang. The primary data consisted fix cost, variable cost, and revenue. The data were used to calculate Break Even Point and R/C ratio.Result of the research showed that total cost (TC) used in intercropping broccoli and lettuce system was IDR 5,462,142/planting season, with total revenue (TR) was IDR 5,958,000. The R/C ratio was 1.09. So this Intercropping Farming System was feasible because the R/C ratio more than 1.
