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Introduction: Oat (Avena nuda L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) intercropping in the northern regions of China has resulted in substantial production capabilities. However, there is currently a dearth of comprehensive research on whether this intercropping system can enhance productivity through increased sowing densities and underlying interspecies interaction mechanisms. Methods: A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2022 and 2023 to investigate the yield, biological efficiency, economic efficiency, and competition indicators of oats and common vetch in a high-density intercropping system. Two cropping patterns (monocropping and intercropping) and five sowing densities (D1: 4.5×106 plants ha-1; D2:5.4×106 plants ha-1; D3:6.3×106 plants ha-1; D4: 7.2×106 plants ha-1; and D5: 8.1×106 plants ha-1) were arranged in a randomized block design. Results: At the same sowing density, the intercropped oats exhibited greater grain yield than the monocultures. Increasing the oat sowing density significantly enhanced oat yield, with the D3 level in intercropping showing the highest yield increase, ranging from 30.98% to 31.85%, compared with the monoculture. The common vetch intercropping grain yield was maximized in the D2 treatment. The land equivalent ratio was maximized at the D2 level in both years and was significantly higher than D1, with the land equivalent coefficient, system productivity index, and percentage yield difference suggesting that increasing oat sowing densities improved the productivity of the intercropping system, with the best performance observed at the D2 level. For both years, the proportionate actual yield loss of oat was the highest at the D3 level; significantly surpassing D1, proportionate actual yield loss of common vetch and actual yield loss were the highest at level D2, both significantly surpassing D1. These indicates that appropriate densification contributes to the realization of the advantages of intercropping. With an increased oat sowing density, the economic benefits of the intercropping system were maximized at the D2 and D3 levels. Regarding intercropping competition, oat was the dominant crop under different sowing densities (Aggressivity for oat (AO)>0, relative crowding coefficient for oat (KO)>1, competition ratio for oat (CRO)>1), whereas common vetch was the inferior crop. Compared with the D1 level, the D2 level harmonized the aggressivity, competitive ratio, and relative crowding coefficients of oat and common vetch, significantly increasing crowding coefficient for common vetch (KV) and competition ratio for common vetch by 19.76% to 21.94% and 4.80% to 7.51%, respectively, while reducing KO and CRO. Discussion: This result suggests that in the intercropping of common vetch and oat in alpine regions, rational densification can harmonize interspecific competition and thus improve the biological efficiency and economic benefits of intercropping systems.

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BACKGROUND: Soil is a key foundation of crop root growth. There are interactions between root system and soil in multiple ways. The present study aimed to further explore the response of root distribution and morphology to soil physical and chemical environment under maize (Zea mays L.) soybean (Glycine Max L. Merr.) relay strip intercropping (MS) An experiment was carried out aiming to examine the effects of nitrogen (N) applications and interspecific distances on root system and soil environment in MS. The two N application levels, referred to as no N application (NN) and conventional N application (CN), were paired with different interspecific distances: 30, 45 and 60 cm (MS30, MS45 and MS60) and 100 cm of monoculture maize and soybean (MM/SS100). RESULTS: The results demonstrated that MS45 increased the distribution of soil aggregates (> 2 mm) near the crop roots and maize soil nutrients status, which increased by 20.3% and 15.6%. Meanwhile, MS reduced soil bulk density, increased soil porosity and improved soil oxygen content. Optimization of the soil environment facilitated root growth. The MS45 achieved a better result on root distribution and morphology than the other configuration and also increased land productivity. CONCLUSION: Relay intercropped soybean with maize in interspecific row spacing of 45 cm, improved soil physicochemical environment, reshaped root architecture and optimized root spatial distribution of crops to achieve greater land productivity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Climate changes are one of the biggest threats to food security. Sustainable agriculture, focused on eco-friendly practices for highly efficient food production, enables greater resilience and safety. This study experimented on intercropping and bio-fertilizer application as convenient ecological solutions for crop yield stability and quality. The experiment was conducted during 2018 and 2020 with soybean and common millet sown in three sowing patterns: alternating rows, alternating strips 1 (2 rows of soybean + 2 rows of millet), and alternating strips 2 (2 rows of soybean + 4 rows of millet), as well as sole crops (control), with or without a bio-fertilizer Coveron. Grain yield and nutrient grain yield response were calculated through land equivalent ratio (LER) and element-LER (E-LER), while quality was estimated based on the concentration of antioxidants (phytate phosphorus, total phenolic compounds, and yellow pigment) and elements in grains, including potential bio-availability of essential elements. Results revealed LER values to be >1 for all sowing patterns, with the highest one achieved in alternating strips 1 (1.38) together with a greater level of all antioxidants in millet grain. Intercropping significantly enhanced Fe and Mn accumulation in both crops and simultaneously decreased the concentration of potentially toxic elements (Al, Cr) in millet grain. Potential bio-availability of essential elements, expressed through the ratio between phytic acid and Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn revealed smaller values in intercropped soybean and millet with the bio-fertilizer. The bio-fertilizer also increased the concentration of some micro-elements in millet grain, classifying it as a highly dependent plant to microbial inoculation. Interaction of intercropping and bio-fertilizer was most pronounced for LER, E-LER, and accumulation of Fe and Mn in grains. These results highlighted the benefits of soybean-common millet intercropping, especially in combination with the bio-fertilizer, in light of enhanced land utilization and nutrient absorption, thus increasing the resilience of soybean and millet under dry land conditions and low-input systems toward stability and food security.

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Introduction: Intercropping contributes a significant role in sustainable agricultural system as it improves soil conservation, productivity and stability of yield and makes better use of production elements. However, the economic advantages and dis advantages of sesame and legume intercropping is not quantified. Methods: Field experiment, consisted of seven treatments, conducted in 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons using randomized complete block design with three replications. Land equivalent ratio, Competitive Ratio (CR), Relative crowding coefficient (K), Aggressivity (A), Sesame equivalent yield, Legume equivalent yield (LEY), Monetary Advantage Index, Area Time Equivalent Ratio (ATER), Land Saved and correlation of the indexes were competed. Results: The highest total LER (0.63) recorded from sesame intercropped with half as well as full seed rate of mungbean. Sesame intercropped with half seed rate of mungbean showed lower CR (1.57) and the total K of the system was greater than a unity in three of the treatments except in sesame + half seed rate of soybean with total K of 0.81. Sesame intercropped with half seed rate of soybean was dominant with aggressivity (0.13) while it was dominated in both of the other treatments with negative aggressivity. The highest MAI (1181.15 and 1239.1) was gained from sesame intercropped with mungbean at full and half seed rates respectively and the ATER value of sesame + half seed rate of soybean was greater than a unity while sesame + half seed rate of soybean scored lower than unity (0.94). Grain yield showed a positively strong correlation with LEY, SEY, and Ktot while it showed a negative correlation with CRs and As. Based on the PCA biplot the intercropping indexes grouped in to three clusters (I-III): cluster I, II and III consisted of 3, 1 and 9 intercropping indexes respectively. Conclusion: LS, LER and MAI are the best indexes to compute the economic profitability of a mixed cropping. Generally, based on the LS, LER and MAI sesame-legume intercropping practice is economically profitable.

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Efficient maize-faba bean intercropping system for optimum grain yield and productivity is needed in order to use the limited land and to enhance food security of the smallholder farmers. A field experiment was conducted at Haramaya, eastern Ethiopia during the 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons to determine the effect of variety and spatial arrangement on a maize-faba bean intercropping system on yield components and yields of the component crops and the productivity of the system. The treatments consisted of the recommended 100% plant populations of maize (Baate) variety intercropped with 50% of the recommended density of four faba bean varieties (Yeferenji Baqela, Yehabesha Baqela, Batte and Gachena). The component crops were sown at three levels of spatial arrangements (1:1 1:2 and 2:2), whereas sole maize and the four faba beans were sole-planted. The treatments were laid out as a randomized complete block design with three replications in factorial approach. The results revealed that cropping season affected all the maize variables-cropped. Sole-cropped maize gave the higher grain yield (5.91 t ha-1) compared to intercropping system. Maize intercropped with 2:2 spatial arrangements gave the highest grain yield (5.37 t ha-1). Sole-cropped faba bean gave higher seed yield (2.04 t ha-1) than intercropped faba bean. The 1:1 spatial arrangement was superior in number of pods per plant (5.27), aboveground dry biomass (3.81 t ha-1), and seed yield (0.86 t ha-1) to the other spatial arrangements. Variety Gachena was superior to the other varieties in number of pods per plant (5.49), above ground dry biomass (3.77 t ha-1), seed yield (0.88 t ha-1). Land equivalent ratio (LER) was unaffected by variety differences; however, a 26.8% yield advantage was achieved at 1:1 spatial arrangement in which the highest LER (1.268) value was obtained. The highest gross monetary value (GMV) (96,308 ETB ha-1), maize equivalent yield (MEY) (6420.53 kg ha-1) and monetary advantage index (MAI) (17,506) was obtained from Gachena variety. A 1:1 spatial arrangement gave the maximum GMV (94,162 ETB ha-1), MEY (6277.49 kg ha-1) and MAI (18,761). Therefore, it is concluded that intercropping of Gachena variety in a 1:1 spatial arrangement with maize resulted in the highest productivity and economic advantage for the farmers of the study area.

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A 2-year field experiment evaluated the effects of sweet corn-summer savory intercropping on crop productivity and essential oil (EO) composition of summer savory. Five cropping patterns of Corn 100%:Savory 0%, C75:S25, C50:S50, C25:S75, and C0:S100 were tested. The highest corn yield (2,440 kg ha-1) was obtained in a corn monoculture, but was not significantly different from C75:S25 or C50:S50. However, in both years the highest savory yield was obtained in S100 (793.3 g m-2 and 816.6 g m-2, respectively). Savory yields decreased as the proportion of corn increased. The land equivalent ratios in C25:S75, C50:S50, and C75:S25 were 1.54 ± 0.07, 1.56 ± 0.03, and 1.35 ± 0.1, respectively. Monocropped savory had the highest EO value followed by C25:S75 and C50:C50. However, no significant differences were found among these three treatments. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that the major components were carvacrol (35.88%-42.96%), γ-terpinene (18.45%-20.03%), ρ-cymene (11.77%-12.24%), and α-terpinene (2.75%-3.96%). The highest amount of carvacrol was recorded in C25:S75 (42.96%). This study suggests that intercropping of corn and savory represents an effective sustainable strategy, especially for smallholders, as a way to increase their overall land productivity and to improve the quality of savory's EO.

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Alley cropping is a specific agroforestry system, which is regarded as sustainable land use management, that could play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Despite its appealing attributes, farmers' up-take of the system is slow in temperate regions. This study aims to contribute to scaling-up agroforestry through a case study in Hungary and to help to design productive alley cropping systems. We investigated which tree planting pattern of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) results in the most productive alley cropping system when intercropped with triticale (x Triticosecale W.) by statistically analysing the yields of the intercrop and of the trees in nine different layouts and by calculating land equivalent ratios (LER). There was significant difference between the treatments both in triticale and black locust yields. The more trees planted on a hectare, the higher the volume of the stand, and the less yield of triticale was observed, although the latter correlation was weak and in some cases the triticale was more productive between the trees compared with sole crop control. Eight out of nine treatments had favourable LER (0.94-1.35) when the trees were five years old. Black locust and triticale seem to be a good combination for productive alley cropping systems.

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Maize (Zea mays)-faba bean (Vicia faba) intercropping is a recent practice in eastern Ethiopia and there is limited information on optimum planting density and suitable varieties of faba bean for productive intercropping with maize. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted in eastern Ethiopia during the 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons to determine the effects of variety and density of faba bean on the yield components of the crops and the productivity of the intercropping. Treatments consisted of three farmers' varieties (Yeferenji Baqela, Yehabesha Baqela, Batte) and one improved variety (Gachena)intercropped with maize in an additive design at three plant densities (25%, 50%, and 75% of their recommended sole crop density of 250,000 plants ha-1) and the recommended 100% plant density of sole faba bean and sole maize. A randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement of treatments replicated three times per treatment was used. Analysis of data revealed that sole maize produced a significantly higher number of ears per plant (1.70), thousand kernel weight (287.9 g), aboveground dry biomass (19.11 t ha-1) and grain yield (6.16 t ha-1) than intercropped maize. Among the intercropping systems, maize intercropped with 25% of the sole faba bean produced a significantly higher grain yield (5.56 t ha-1) than 50% and 75% plant density. Similarly, the 75% plant density of the sole faba bean intercropped with maize produced the highest grain yield (0.96 t ha-1) compared to the 25% and 50% plant densities. Faba bean planted in the sole system produced a significantly higher seed yield (2.08 t ha-1) than the intercropped faba bean with maize. Faba bean variety Gachena was found to be superior than the other varieties in number of pods per plant (10.23), aboveground dry biomass (3.73 t ha-1), grain yield (1.96 t ha-1) and harvest index (26.75%). Land equivalent ratio showed 18.4% higher yield advantage when maize was intercropped with faba bean than when it was sole-cropped. The highest gross monetary value (99318 Ethiopian Birr ha-1) and maize equivalent yield (6621.2 kg ha-1) were obtained from maize intercropped with Gachena faba bean variety with no significant differences among the plant densities. It is concluded that intercropping of maize with 75% plant density of improved Gachena variety resulted in superior performance of the system in terms of productivity and economic return.

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Cereal-legume intercrops are developed mainly in low input or organic farming systems because of the overyielding and numerous ecosystem services they provide. For this management, little advice is available for varietal choice and there are almost no specific breeding programs. Our study aimed to evaluate the mixing ability of a panel of bread wheat genotypes in intercropping and to assess the impact of environment and legume tester choice on this ability. We used partial land equivalent ratios (LERs) to assess the mixing ability of a genotype defined as the combination of its ability to maintain its own yield in intercropping (producer effect, LERw) and to let the mixed species produce (associate effect, LERl). Eight wheat genotypes and 5 legume testers (3 pea and 2 faba bean varieties) were grown in sole crop and in all possible binary intercrops in nine contrasting environments. A mixed model was used to evaluate the effects of wheat genotypes, legume testers, environments, and all the interactions among these 3 factors on LERw and LERl. The chosen wheat genotypes presented contrasting mixing ability, either in terms of producer effect (LERw) or associate effect (LERl). A strong negative correlation was observed between these two components of genotype mixing ability, with an increase in producer effect being generally associated with similar decrease in associate effect, except for three genotypes. The impact of environment on the producer and associate effects was limited and similar between genotypes. Legume tester had a significant effect on both LERw and LERl, making the choice of tester a major issue to reveal the producer or associate effects of wheat genotype. Although the 5 testers showed no significant differences in wheat genotype order for both producer or associate effects, they showed different competitiveness and ability to discriminate genotypes: faba bean was very competitive, resulting in low LERt and low capacity to discriminate wheat genotypes for their mixing ability. On the contrary, pea was less competitive, resulting in higher LERt and better capacity to discriminate wheat genotypes. In particular, the Hr varieties (Geronimo and Spencer) discriminated best the wheat genotypes. Consequences on the implementation of breeding programs for wheat varieties adapted to intercropping are discussed.

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Plant breeding for intercropping is lagging because most varieties currently available in the market are selected for sole cropping systems. The present study analyzed the response of durum wheat (12 varieties) and faba bean (3 varieties) in pure and mixed cropping. Field trials were conducted in 2019 and 2020. The performance of each variety in mixed and pure cropping was evaluated using both univariate and multivariate analyses of the grain yield and land equivalent ratio (LER). For durum wheat, grain protein content was also evaluated. Durum wheat varieties were characterized by good performance in both years, whereas faba bean varieties were more affected by the growing season, suggesting that much breeding effort is warranted to improve the latter as a pure and mixed crop. Moreover, the relative performance of all varieties was affected by their combination in mixed cropping, as evaluated based on the ratio (LERratio) between LER for wheat (LERw) and LER for faba bean (LERfb). To further evaluate the overall performance of wheat and faba bean in mixed cropping, total yield, LERtotal (LERw + LERfb), and ln(LERratio) were subjected to principal component and cluster analyses. The first principal component combined the total yield and LERtotal in a single index of the overall performance of each mixed crop combination. The second principal component, based on ln(LERratio), highlighted the relative performance of varieties in each mixed crop combination. The proposed multivariate approach can be applied in the breeding programs for intercropping to identify variety combinations based on crop performance and the relative importance of the proportion of cereal and legume grains in the total harvest.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Intercropping is one of the sustainable intensification methods which reduces the demand for increased land resources. However, growing of two or more crops as an intercrop is not business as usual but it needs extensive knowledge about the nature of component crops to grow in harmony. Hence selection and evaluation of compatible legume species for intercropping with finger millet in the study area is necessary. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A field experiment was conducted at two major finger millet producing areas of northwestern Ethiopia. Four legumes crops such as (sweet lupine, cowpea, haricot bean, and soybean) intercropped with finger millet. RESULTS: The analysis of variance showed that intercropping of finger millet with different legumes had yield advantage in both districts as compared to component crops. Land equivalent ratio was more than unity for all treatments in both districts except for finger millet intercropped with soybean at South Achefer district. At Guangua finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean showed 27% and 12% yield advantage, respectively and also finger millet + cowpea preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for animal feed. At South Achefer finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea showed 38% and 35% yield advantage respectively and also finger millet + sweet lupine preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield to make stew as a protein source, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for human and animal feed. CONCLUSION: Therefore intercropping, finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean at Guangua and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea at South Achefer preferred by farmers and also had yield advantage as compared to component crops. Hence finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean recommended for Guangua and similar agro-ecologies and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea for South Achefer and similar agro-ecologies as 1st, 2nd option respectively.

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BACKGROUND: The production of sufficient animal feed in arid and semi-arid regions plays a significant role in food security in these areas. The present study was conducted based on the hypothesis that intercropping of sorghum and amaranth, comprising relatively drought tolerant forages, will enhance the yield and quality of the feed under limited irrigation water availability. RESULTS: Implementation of fixed alternate furrow irrigation (FFI) and alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) resulted in a saving of 22.5% and 19.7% of irrigation water, respectively. However, the water saving declined both yield and quality of forage. In conventional furrow irrigation (CFI), the highest dry matter (DM) yield was 15.5 Mg ha-1 , obtained from S50 -A50 treatment. In FFI and AFI, sole sorghum produced the highest DM. However, their maximum yields (11.2 and 12.6 Mg ha-1 , respectively) were not significantly different from yields in S75 -A25 intercropping ratios. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was similar in CFI and AFI and considerably higher than FFI. Sorghum monoculture and the S75 -A25 intercropping had the highest IWUE (3.4 and 3.3 kg m-3 ), whereas IWUE of the sole amaranth was 1.7 kg m-3 . The partial land equivalent ratio and monetary advantage index of amaranth and sorghum indicated that sorghum would benefit from intercropping as long as its ratio in the intercropping is more than 25%. CONCLUSION: When sufficient irrigation is available, intercropping of sorghum and amaranth can considerably improve yield and quality of emergency feed. However, the benefits from intercropping faded under the two partial root-zone irrigation methods used in the present study. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Conservation agriculture-related practices (CARP) improve soil fertility, maize yield, and profitability. A study was conducted to generate evidence on the benefits of CARP in the long-term (nine years) in Salima District, Central Malawi. The objectives of the study were 1) to compare the maize yields between farmer practice and CARP interventions in the long-term, 2) to compare soil fertility changes between farmer practice and CARP interventions in the long-term, and 3) to verify the intercropping efficiency of maize with groundnut using the land equivalent ratio (LER) and land equivalent coefficient (LEC). A guiding hypothesis was that the application of CARP improves soil condition and maize yield. Farmer practice (FP) and three CARP [Pit planting + mulching (PPM), Intercropping + mulching (INM), and Mulching (MC)] treatments were tested in the study. INM was also tested for intercropping efficiency. Maize yields in CARP (3.98-4.43 Mg ha-1) were significantly higher (p < 0.018) than in FP (1.84 Mg ha-1). Soil pH, soil organic carbon, soil organic matter, nitrogen, and bulk density were acceptable for the Malawian soil in CARP compared to FP, suggesting that CARP improved soil fertility properties. There was no significant difference in soil potassium concentration across the treatments (p < 0.0642). The land equivalent ratio for maize and groundnut intercropping in INM was 1.77, indicating beneficial intercropping efficiency. The benefit-cost ratios (BCR) for PPM, INM, and MC were 1.55, 1.90, and 2.26, respectively, indicating that CARP interventions were more profitable than FP (BCR = 0.15). It is concluded that CARP interventions contribute to increased crop yield, income, and soil fertility restoration in the agricultural land. The selection of a CARP intervention should depend on the farmer's main intention, either to maximize yield, soil fertility, income, or a combination.

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To explore light energy utilization characteristics and yield effect of different legume-gramineae intercropping patterns, we set up five kinds of monocropping patterns including alfalfa, triticale, oats, maize and sorgo as reference in a field experiment. The light energy utilization chara-cteristics and productivity of four kinds of intercropping patterns including alfalfa-triticale, alfalfa-oats, alfalfa-maize and alfalfa-sorgo were examined. The contribution degree of each light energy index to yield formation was analzyed using path analysis method. The results showed that the contribution of each index of light energy to yield from large to small was as follows: leaf area index (LAI)=1.236, net photosynthetic rate (Pn)=0.519, canopy openness (DIFN)=0.302, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci)=-0.026, stomatal conductance (gs)=-0.116, transpiration rate (Tr)=-0.188, PAR interception rate (FIPAR)=-1.708. Light use efficiency (LUE) as a comprehensive indicator of light energy utilization had the largest value (1.367). Compared with monoculture, the values of LAI, Pn, gs, Tr and FIPAR of four kinds of gramineae grasses increased under intercropping and the values of DIFN and Ci decreased, while alfalfa showed an opposite trend. Compared with monoculture, the LUE of four kinds of gramineae grasses under intercropping was significantly increased. The increase rates of triticale and oats (35.2% and 30.4%) were higher than that of maize and sorgo (28.7% and 26.3%). The decrease rates of alfalfa intercropping with triticale and oats (6.1% and 8.3%) were obviously lower than that of maize and sorgo (21.8% and 24.5%). The values of land equivalent ratio (LER) of four kinds of intercropping patterns was all greater than 1. The LER values of alfalfa-triticale and alfalfa-oat were significantly higher than those of alfalfa-maize and alfalfa-sorgo. It could be seen that LAI had the largest direct contribution to yield, followed by Pn. Among the four intercropping patterns, two patterns, alfalfa-triticale and alfalfa-oats, had greater improvement potential of light energy utilization and yield.

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Satisfying the nutritional needs of a growing population whilst limiting environmental repercussions will require sustainable intensification of agriculture. We argue that intercropping, which is the simultaneous production of multiple crops on the same area of land, could play an essential role in this intensification. We carried out the first global meta-analysis on the multifaceted benefits of intercropping. The objective of this study was to determine the benefits of intercropping in terms of energetic, economic and land-sparing potential through the framework of the stress-gradient hypothesis. We expected more intercropping benefits under stressful abiotic conditions. From 126 studies that were retrieved from the scientific literature, 939 intercropping observations were considered. When compared to the same area of land that was managed in monoculture, intercrops produced 38% more gross energy (mean relative land output of 1.38) and 33% more gross incomes (mean relative land output of 1.33) on average, whilst using 23% less land (mean land equivalent ratio of 1.30). Irrigation and the aridity index in non-irrigated intercrops did not affect land equivalent ratio, thereby indicating that intercropping remains beneficial, both under stressful and non-stressful contexts concerning moisture availability. Fertilisation and intercropping patterns (rows and strips vs. mixed) did not affect land equivalent ratio. Although intercropping offers a great opportunity for intensification of existing agricultural lands, many challenges need to be tackled by experts from multiple disciplines to ensure its feasible implementation.

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Legumes and brassicas have much in common: importance in agricultural history, rich biodiversity, numerous forms of use, high adaptability to diverse farming designs, and various non-food applications. Rare available resources demonstrate intercropping legumes and brassicas as beneficial to both, especially for the latter, profiting from better nitrogen nutrition. Our team aimed at designing a scheme of the intercrops of autumn- and spring-sown annual legumes with brassicas for ruminant feeding and green manure, and has carried out a set of field trials in a temperate Southeast European environment and during the past decade, aimed at assessing their potential for yields of forage dry matter and aboveground biomass nitrogen and their economic reliability via land equivalent ratio. This review provides a cross-view of the most important deliverables of our applied research, including eight annual legume crops and six brassica species, demonstrating that nearly all the intercrops were economically reliable, as well as that those involving hairy vetch, Hungarian vetch, Narbonne vetch and pea on one side, and fodder kale and rapeseed on the other, were most productive in both manners. Feeling encouraged that this pioneering study may stimulate similar analyses in other environments and that intercropping annual legume and brassicas may play a large-scale role in diverse cropping systems, our team is heading a detailed examination of various extended research.

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Increasing land-use conflicts call for the development of land-use systems that reconcile agricultural production with the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation. Agroforestry has been suggested as a global solution to increase land-use efficiency, while reducing environmental impacts and economic risks for farmers. Past research has often focused on comparing tree-crop combinations with agricultural monocultures, but agroforestry has seldom been systematically compared to other forms of land-use diversification, including a farm mosaic. This form of diversification mixes separate parcels of different land uses within the farm. The objective of this study was to develop a modelling approach to compare the performance of the agroforestry and farm mosaic diversification strategies, accounting for tree-crop interaction effects and economic and climate uncertainty. For this purpose, Modern Portfolio Theory and risk simulation were coupled with the process-based biophysical simulation model WaNuLCAS 4.0. For an example application, we used data from a field trial in Panama. The results show that the simulated agroforestry systems (Taungya, alley cropping and border planting) could outperform a farm mosaic approach in terms of cumulative production and return. Considering market and climate uncertainty, agroforestry showed an up to 21% higher economic return at the same risk level (i.e. standard deviation of economic returns). Farm compositions with large shares of land allocated to maize cultivation were also more severely affected by an increasing drought frequency in terms of both risks and returns. Our study demonstrates that agroforestry can be an economically efficient diversification strategy, but only if the design allows for economies of scope, beneficial interactions between trees and crops and higher income diversification compared to a farm mosaic. The modelling approach can make an important contribution to support land-use decisions at the farm level and reduce land-use conflicts at the landscape level.

RESUMEN

ABSTRACT: Intercropping of vegetables and medicinal plants might produce favorable interactions for both crops, resulting in increased production and profit per unit area. It is known that active compounds can change because of several factors, including the cropping system. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of intercropping of lettuce and marigold on the productivity of these crops and on the flavonoid content of marigold flowers. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of EPAMIG in Oratorios-MG. Treatments consisted of lettuce + marigolds intercropping between rows, lettuce + marigold intercropping between plants, and monocultures of each species. Spacing was 0.3x0.3m. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with ten repetitions. Harvest of lettuce and marigold flowers started 45 days after transplantation (DAT) and extended up to 72 DAT for marigolds. Lettuce and marigold intercropping appears feasible because lettuce production did not differ between the monoculture and intercropped cultivations, and marigold productivity was higher when intercropped with lettuce. No change in the flavonoid (active chemicals of medicinal interest) content in the floral capitula of marigolds was observed.

RESUMO: O cultivo consorciado entre hortaliças e plantas medicinais pode promover interação benéfica entre as duas culturas, resultando em aumento na produção e no lucro por unidade de área. Sabe-se também que os princípios ativos podem ser alterados por vários fatores, incluindo o sistema de cultivo. Dessa forma, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do consórcio entre alface e calêndula na produtividade destas culturas e no teor de flavonoides em flores de calêndula. O experimento foi conduzido na área experimental da EPAMIG, em Oratórios-MG. Os tratamentos consistiram em: alface + calêndula entre linhas, alface + calêndula entre plantas e os monocultivos de alface e de calêndula. O espaçamento utilizado foi de 0,3x0,3m. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com dez repetições. A colheita de alface e das flores de calêndula iniciou-se 45 dias após o transplantio (DAT), sendo a colheita de calêndula estendida até os 72 DAT. O consórcio entre alface e calêndula é viável, pois a produção da alface é semelhante entre sistemas consorciados e cultivo solteiro, e a produtividade da calêndula é maior quando consorciada com a alface, não havendo alteração no teor de flavonoides (princípio ativo de interesse medicinal) dos capítulos florais de calêndula.