Syndromes of production in intercropping impact yield gains

Flashcards based on a meta-analysis of intercropping systems, covering key concepts, definitions, and findings related to yield gains, land use efficiency, and sustainable agriculture.

What is intercropping?

The mixed cultivation of crop species on the same field.

What ecological mechanisms does intercropping provide?

Weed suppression, pest and disease control, efficient use of light and water, conservation of soil resources, and yield increase.

What is the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER)?

The ratio of the area under sole cropping to the area under intercropping needed to give the same yields.

What does an LER greater than one mean?

It saves land.

What is the Net Effect (NE) of species mixtures?

The difference in yield or biomass between the mixture and the average of the sole crops.

What does the NE indicate?

The absolute yield gain.

What does the LER evaluate?

Comparative land use efficiency.

In strip intercropping, how wide are the strips?

Strips are wide enough to permit independent cultivation but narrow enough to allow beneficial interspecific interactions.

What type of species is maize in intercropping?

High-yielding C4 species.

What intercropping methods are popular in organic farming?

Alternate-row and mixed intercropping.

What opportunities does intercropping provide for sustainable intensification of agriculture?

Greater yield per unit land and fertilizer than sole crops.

When are absolute yield gains the greatest in intercropping?

Greatest for mixtures of maize with short-grain cereals or legumes with temporal niche differentiation, high nutrient inputs, and multirow strips.

What does the alternative intercropping strategy consist of?

Growing mixtures of short-stature crop species, often as full mixtures, with the same growing period and with low to moderate nutrient inputs.

How much land and fertilizer do both low- and high-yield intercropping strategies save?

16–29% of the land and 19–36% of the fertilizer.

What opportunities does intercropping offer in terms of sustainable intensification?

High- and low-input agriculture.

Which intercrops have greater yield gains, intercrops with maize or without maize?

Intercrops with maize.

What factors affect yield gain at a global scale in intercropping?

Species combinations, temporal and spatial arrangements, and fertilizer inputs.

What was the overall yield gain (NE) in intercropping in the global dataset?

1.5±0.1Mgha−1.

Which spatial arrangements have significantly greater NEs?

Strip and alternate-row intercrops.

What does TND quantify?

The total period of non-overlap as a proportion of the total growing period of the two species.