To accelerate rural development, give play to regional advantages and improve economic benefits, the Chinese government has been promoting strongly the establishment of new agricultural operating ...entities, and adopting the planting of fruit-legume agroforestry system. However, the current popular planting pattern lacks comprehensive benefit evaluation from two aspects of yield and economy, and farmers lacks practical reference.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the planting status, agronomical and economic benefits of agroforestry in large-scale professional farming households, and to determine the optimal planting pattern in Xinjiang.
This experiment consists of field measurements and a questionnaire. (1) According to the common planting patterns in this region, the following five treatments were compared in Xinjiang: plumcot + soybean intercropping (PSI) (1.2 m interval between two species, soybean wide narrow row planting), plumcot + alfalfa intercropping (PAI) (1.0 m interval between two species, 0.15 m interval between alfalfa rows), sole-cropped soybean (SS) (soybean wide narrow row planting), sole-cropped alfalfa (SA) (0.15 m interval between alfalfa rows), and sole-cropped plumcot (SP) (5 m interval between plumcot rows). The underground interspecific competitiveness index, yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), Soluble solids content (SSC), fruit firmness and economic benefit were measured. (2) A two-stage stratified sampling procedure was applied. Eighteen fruit-legume large-scale professional farming households in each selected administrative unit were stratified into intercropping with soybean or intercropping with alfalfa. The questionnaire survey investigated field management, sales channels, economic benefits and other information.
Large-scale professional farming households are scientific and market sensitive in developing agroforestry intercropping. Plumcot was consistently less competitive, and the main competitive area of the root system occurred at a depth of 0–0.2 m. The competition intensity of plumcot + alfalfa intercropping (PAI) was weaker than that of plumcot + soybean intercropping (PSI). Compared with sole-cropping, the yield of each species under intercropping decreased, especially that of alfalfa, but the land equivalent ratio increased. Plumcot intercropped with alfalfa had a higher soluble solids content. Intercropping has greater economic benefits, especially PAI. PAI was the most suitable planting pattern which can effectively solve the dilemma that fruit trees are not profitable in the juvenile growth stage of a plumcot.
An intercropping pattern can effectively solve the dilemma that fruit trees cannot make profits in the early stage of planting. There are few relevant research reports, and farmers lack decision-making suggestions on scientific planting and comprehensive economic benefits. Based on our findings, we suggest that large-scale professional farming households should develop the planting pattern of intercropping between fruit trees and legumes, especially new species of fruit trees and alfalfa. This will provide decision support for them to obtain benefits, improve land use efficiency and improve farmland ecology.
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•Comprehensive benefit analysis can provide decision-making basis for farmers' planting and development.•Determine the maximum benefit agroforestry planting system in Yili, Xinjiang.•The topsoil layer was the main competition area interspecific competition.•Planting plumcot + alfalfa can obtain the best ecological and economic benefits.•The effective agroforestry pattern can solve the problem of profit in the early stage of tree planting.
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•Arbuscular mycorrhiza and intercropping tested in factorial field trials.•Coriander/soybean intercrop grain yield tend to be higher than that for sole crops.•Arbuscular mycorrhiza ...and intercropping influenced the essential oil composition.•Intercropping and mycorrhiza fungi are useful tools for reducing agrochemical inputs.
Implementing intercropping and applying arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can be alternatives for applying chemical fertilizers. We investigated the effectiveness of Glomus intraradices on yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), yield of essential oil (EO) and EO composition of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) in different cropping systems. Two experiments were carried out in triplicate with a complete, randomized block design in the years 2017 and 2018. The cropping systems included a) coriander sole cropping at 25, 50 or 75 plants m−2, b) soybean (Glycine max L.) sole cropping at 40 plants m−2, and c) intercropping of different densities of coriander (25, 50 or 75 plants m−2) with soybean at 40 plants m−2. All cropping systems were exposed to treatments without (-AM) or with (+AM) application of Glomus intraradices. Applying G. intraradices significantly increased contents of macro- and micronutrients in coriander plants, and also enhanced LER and EO yield. Implementing intercropping and applying AM inoculation affected EO composition in coriander. The contents of limonene, apiole, coriander ether, n-dihydrocarvone, carvone, myristicin and coriander_apiole was enhanced in AM treated and intercropped coriander plants, while applying G. intraradices resulted in a reduced content of cis-sabinol and phytol of sole-cropped and intercropped coriander plants.
•Intercropping of guar-roselle in 7 plating patterns under different rates of N fertilizer was assessed compared to their monoculture system.•The highest value of LER in roselle and guar was observed ...in GRR followed by 100 kg urea ha−1 and GGGRR without nitrogen application, respectively.•The maximum gum percentage was obtained in GGGRR pattern under application of 100 kg urea ha−1.•Relay intercropping of guar-roselle may improve the yield, phytochmeiclas of both crops.
Intercropping refers to the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field to maximize resources utilization and yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield, phytochemical attributes, and competition indices of the intercropping system of guar(G)-roselle(R) compared to the monoculture system. This research was performed as a split-plot experiment based on randomized complete block design (RCBD), keeping the ratio of guar and roselle in 1:1 (GR), 2:1 (GGR), 1:2 (GRR), 3:2 (GGGRR), 1:3 (GRRR) respectively, along with a sole plot of both crops as the main plot and four levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 40, 70,100 kg urea ha−1) considered as the sub-main plot. The results demonstrated that interaction of GRR followed by 40 kg urea ha−1 obtained maximum biomass (3605 kg ha−1) in roselle, while GR with application of 70 kg urea ha−1 and GRRR in 40 kg urea ha−1 devoted the highest biomass in guar (16,104 and 14,781 kg ha−1). Furthermore, regarding sepal yield, GRRR followed by 40 kg urea ha−1 caused the greatest (1196 kg ha−1). Mean comparison interaction impact results illustrated that sole crop of guar without nitrogen application had the highest guar seed yield (4890 kg ha−1). The greatest gum percentage was obtained in 100 kg urea ha−1 followed by GGGRR (43.49%). Mean comparison interaction results for total chlorophyll in roselle demonstrated that GR in 70 kg urea ha−1 was the most (36.4 mg/g FW). In addition, the highest phenol levels were related to sole crop roselle followed by 70 kg urea ha−1. The highest value of LER in roselle and guar was demonstrated in GRR followed by 100 kg urea ha−1 and GGGRR without nitrogen application (1.52 and 0.86, respectively). Overall, this study strengthens the idea that relay intercropping guar with roselle can improve the yield and quality attribute of both crops, so this system could be considered as a sustainable practice for field management.
•The wheat/maize intercropping system had substantial land productivity.•We applied an expolinear growth model to characterize the growth delay of intercropped maize.•The growth delay responded ...differently among treatments due to different competition intensity between the two crops.•Intercropping systems used nitrogen less efficiently than did monocultures at a system level.
Relay intercropping of spring wheat and maize is practiced on a large scale in northern China. In order to provide information on productivity and nitrogen use for spring wheat/maize intercropping, a two-year experiment under three N levels and three cropping systems (monocultured wheat, monocultured maize, and intercropped wheat and maize) was carried out in the Hetao Irrigation District of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to quantify and characterize the growth and yield of the wheat and maize and determine the uptake and use efficiency of nitrogen in two crops.
The land equivalent ratio (LER) of the wheat/maize intercropping system ranged from 1.01 to 1.19, and thus land use efficiency was significantly enhanced by this intercropping system. The dry-matter yield and LAI (leaf area index) of wheat were higher in border rows than in inner rows and monocultured rows, indicating an effect of border rows in the intercropping system. The LAI was considerably lower for the intercropped than the monocultured maize, indicating that intercropping limited the vegetative growth of maize.
The grain yield and nitrogen uptake of both wheat and maize in two cropping systems were significantly improved with increasing amounts of N application. The LER of intercropping system tended to increase at higher N levels.
The patterns of maize growth in the monocultures and intercrops were characterized by fitting expolinear growth equations to periodic harvest data. Fitted parameters indicated a growth delay in the intercropped maize ranging from 2.39 to 8.24d relative to the maize monoculture. The growth delays were shortest at the moderate N rate among three N levels (2.39d in 2012 and 2.57d in 2013). This result could be interpreted in terms of the competitive effect of wheat during the seedling phase of maize, which was weakest at the moderate N rate, causing a comparatively short growth delay. The estimated growth rate during the linear growth phase was highest in the intercrop in the high N treatment (417.5kgha−1d−1 in 2012 and 376.7kgha−1d−1 in 2013).
The physiological nitrogen use efficiency (IE) was more favorable for monocultured wheat and intercropped maize and decreased as N rates increased. The efficiency of the use of N for the entire system was assessed by comparing the relative nitrogen yield total to the relative yield total. The relative nitrogen yield total ranged from 1.06 to 1.23, while the relative yield total ranged from 1.01 to 1.19, indicating that the intercrop used more nitrogen per unit production than did the monocultures.
ABSTRACTMaize-legume intercropping is a sustainable strategy to improve maize production for smallholder farmers. Maize is a staple food crop in Bhutan and integration of legumes with maize has been ...considered as an alternative option towards enhancing maize production in the country. Here, we conducted two studies in eastern Bhutan: first study (2021) to identify suitable legumes for intercropping with maize and second study (2022) to evaluate the effects of different maize-soybean intercropping patterns on grain yield, land use efficiency, and economic benefits. The maize-soybean intercropping system showed better productivity and economic viability than the kidney bean and groundnut systems in both the sites. Row intercropping and strip intercropping with 2 rows of maize alternating with 2 rows of soybean (2 M:2S) spaced 0.3 × 0.3 m showed stable and consistently higher grain yield at Lingmethang and Wengkhar (LING = 6.05 t ha−1; WENG = 8.37 t ha−1). The land equivalent ratio (LING = 1.78; WENG = 1.73) and net return (0.16 million Nu. ha−1 for LING and 0.21 million Nu. ha−1 for WENG) were notably higher for these intercropping methods. Our results suggest that the integration of legumes between conventional maize planting density, row intercropping and strip intercropping (2 M:2S) spaced at 0.3 × 0.3 m would be beneficial for achieving higher productivity for smallholder farmers in eastern Bhutan.
Intercropping is an agricultural technique where many crops are grown together on the same field, and it is becoming more widely acknowledged for its ability to improve productivity in food and ...forage production. This farming method allows for the strategic integration of a profitable crop with cover or non-profitable crops to achieve reciprocal benefits, while also spreading advantages across different agricultural systems. Intercropping designs differ to attain greater crop yields, reduce the use of chemicals and fertilizers, and enhance water-use efficiency, especially in the demanding circumstances of arid and semi-arid countries. This study examines new mechanisms via which intercropping enhances sustainable agriculture, including recent progress in ecological, genetic, and microbial interactions that enhance plant growth and resilience. The adaptability of the Mediterranean region, for varied agricultural methods is also assessed, with a particular focus on the possibilities for implementing intercropping systems. This study provides a thorough analysis of existing research, emphasizing the many advantages of intercropping and its contribution to the progress of sustainable agriculture.
Complementarity in acquisition of nitrogen (N) from soil and N
2-fixation within pea and barley intercrops was studied in organic field experiments across Western Europe (Denmark, United Kingdom, ...France, Germany and Italy). Spring pea and barley were sown either as sole crops, at the recommended plant density (P100 and B100, respectively) or in replacement (P50B50) or additive (P100B50) intercropping designs, in each of three cropping seasons (2003–2005). Irrespective of site and intercrop design, Land Equivalent Ratios (LER) between 1.4 at flowering and 1.3 at maturity showed that total N recovery was greater in the pea–barley intercrops than in the sole crops suggesting a high degree of complementarity over a wide range of growing conditions. Complementarity was partly attributed to greater soil mineral N acquisition by barley, forcing pea to rely more on N
2-fixation. At all sites the proportion of total aboveground pea N that was derived from N
2-fixation was greater when intercropped with barley than when grown as a sole crop. No consistent differences were found between the two intercropping designs. Simultaneously, the accumulation of phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) in Danish and German experiments was 20% higher in the intercrop (P50B50) than in the respective sole crops, possibly influencing general crop yields and thereby competitive ability for other resources. Comparing all sites and seasons, the benefits of organic pea–barley intercropping for N acquisition were highly resilient. It is concluded that pea–barley intercropping is a relevant cropping strategy to adopt when trying to optimize N
2-fixation inputs to the cropping system.
There is widespread use of poplar in pulp and paper, match splints, pencil and plywood industries, in northern India. The practice of closer spacing geometry with compact block in poplar cultivation ...does not permit intercropping from the third year onwards, which discourages small landholders. In 2008, poplar was planted at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India in three spacing geometries of 5 × 4 m, 10 × 2 m and 18 × 2 × 2 m (paired row) at a constant density of 500 trees ha−1. In the present study, two cropping rotations (sorghum–berseem and cowpea–wheat) were intercropped in all three spacing geometries of poplar (up to eight years of rotation), and compared with sole cropping as a control. The results showed that yield of annual crops reduced considerably over the years due to enhancing competition for light, moisture and nutrients. The overall yields of annual crops in various spacing geometries of poplar were reduced by 5.67% in the second year to 45.59% in eight years of plantation. The study resulted in 10 × 2 m spacing of poplar with sorghum–berseem crop rotation exhibiting the highest net returns (Rs 1,191,241 ha−1), NPV @ 12% discounting (Rs 409,673 ha−1), B : C ratio (1 : 2.22), IRR (70%), highest land equivalent ratio (2.28) and land expectation value (Rs 2,242,372 ha−1). In the study, LER and LEV calculated to increase the efficiency and adoptability of agroforestry systems. Therefore, on the basis of economics, the present study concludes that the intercropping of sorghum–berseem and cowpea–wheat in poplar planted at a spacing of 10 × 2 m is more profitable and helpful in doubling farmers’ income over traditional agriculture in northwestern India.
IntroductionIn conventional agriculture, crop production has gradually shifted from ecological production principles to economic approaches, which has led to the destruction of natural resources and ...land use change, as well as the reduction in resource consumption (Koocheki et al., 2016b). Satisfying the nutritional needs of a growing population whilst limiting environmental repercussions will require sustainable intensification of agriculture. The adverse effects of climate change are significantly decreasing yield and yield stability over time in current monocropping systems. We argue that intercropping, which is the production of multiple crops on the same area of land, could play an essential role in this intensification. Intercropping often increases resource use efficiency and agricultural productivity compared with growing the component crops solely and can enhance yield stability (Martin-Guay et al., 2018; Raseduzzaman & Jensen, 2017). In the case of an intercropping strategy, the growing period for the legume, as a cover crop, is longer to provide a high amount of fixed nitrogen and potential ground cover to compete with weeds (Vrignon-Brenas et al., 2018). The land equivalent ratio (LER) is often computed as an indicator to determine the efficacy of intercropping that measures land productivity. LER may be interpreted as the relative area required by sole crops to produce the same yields as achieved in a unit area of intercrop. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of relay intercropping as replacement series of three plant species such as chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), mung bean (Vigna radiate L.), and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), on the yield, yield components, and land equivalent ratio under climatic conditions of Mashhad.Materials and MethodsA field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, during the growing seasons of 2015-2016. For this purpose, a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The treatments included sole cropping of chickpea (C), mung bean (M), and sugar beet (S), as well as intercropping with 25% L + 75% S, 50% L + 50% S, and 75% L + 25% S. The investigated traits of mung bean and chickpea were plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of branches per plant, seed weight per plant, and 100-seed weight, as well as the number of hollow pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, biological yield, seed yield, and harvest index. For sugar beet, the traits investigated were root height, fresh yield of root, dry yield of root, dry weight of shoot, sucrose content, and sucrose yield. The land equivalent ratio of chickpea, mung bean, and sugar beet was calculated (Sullivan, 2003) as follows: LER = Y1/I1 + Y2/I2 + Y3/I3, where Y1, Y2, and Y3 represent chickpea, mung bean, and sugar beet yield in intercropping, and I1, I2, and I3 represent chickpea, mung bean, and sugar beet yield in mono-culture, respectively. SAS 9.2 was used for analysis of variance. All the means were compared according to Duncan's test (p ≤ 0.05).Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the effect of relay triple intercropping arrangements of three species, such as mung bean and chickpea with sugar beet, was significant on yield components and seed yield, biological yield (p ≤ 0.05). The highest seed yield of chickpea and mung bean (2912 and 1247.83 kg/ha, respectively) and biological yield (6237.5 and 6816.7 kg/ha) were observed in sole culture, respectively. Also, the highest amount of fresh root yield was related to its sole cropping with 65242 kg/ha. The highest and lowest LER were calculated for 75% S + 25% L (with 1.53) and 25% S + 75% L (with 0.94), respectively.ConclusionIntercropping systems using ecological principles are one of the sustainable solutions to choosing plants suited to the needs, and competitiveness is very important. According to the results, relay triple intercropping of chickpea, and mung bean with sugar beet can be considered as ecological management and ecological intensification in the agroecosystems.
An unprecedented demand for Food, Energy, and Water (FEW) resources over coming decades and the rising climate concerns require integrated FEW innovations with least environmental footprint. ...Collocating photovoltaic (PV) technology with agriculture is a promising approach towards dual land productivity that could locally fulfill growing food and energy demands particularly in rural areas. This ‘agrivoltaic’ (AV) solution can be highly suitable for hot and arid climates where an optimized solar panel coverage could prevent excessive thermal stress during harsh weather thereby increasing the crop yield and lowering the water budget. One of the concerns with using standard fixed tilt solar array structure that faces North/South (N/S) direction for AV farming is the spatial heterogeneity in the daily sunlight distribution for crops and soil water contents, both of which could affect crop yield. Dynamic tilt control through a tracking system can eliminate this problem but could increase the system cost and complexity. Here we present the investigation of vertically tilted bifacial AV farms which can be especially attractive for climates where PV losses due to dust are high. The relative food-energy performance for the vertical East/West faced bifacial panel (bi-E/W) scheme is compared with the standard monofacial tilted panels facing North/South (mono-N/S) through integrated models for energy conversion, spatial/temporal shade patterns, and the crop yield that is benchmarked against the reported field experiments for lettuce. We show that both schemes have similar food-energy yields for shade-sensitive crops which require a relatively low array density (i.e.⩽1/2 of that for the standard ground mounted PV systems). On the other hand, the two PV schemes have remarkably different food-energy yields for denser PV array configuration for which bi-E/W provides higher crop yield and mono-N/S exhibits higher energy yield. To preserve ⩾80% of lettuce yield, the maximum array density is limited from half to twice of the standard PV systems corresponding to the varying shade response for the crop. Similarly, to preserve 80% of the energy yield, the lettuce yield is predicted to vary from 65% (shade-sensitive) to 100% (shade-tolerant). The vertical bi-E/W scheme is although not superior in terms of the combined food-energy performance, it could be attractive for its distinct advantages such as spatial homogeneity for shades and rainfall under panels, convenient architecture for farm machinery mobility, and an inherent resilience to soiling.
•Agrivoltaic design using east/west (E/W) faced vertical bifacial solar panels is investigated.•E/W faced vertical panels provide better spatial uniformity to the daily shade distribution for crops.•Vertical tilt can reduce energy loss due to soiling and enable uniform distribution for rain and evapotranspiration.•E/W faced vertical bifacial panels can improve land productivity relative to south faced fixed tilt panels.
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