Cereal–Legume Intercropping Systems

Ofori, Francis; Stern, WR

doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(08)60802-0

Cited by 587 publications

(461 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…This implies that intercropping may be advantageous when nitrogen availability corresponding to soil nitrogen plus N-fertilizer is below a determined threshold (12 g N m −2 in these experiments) due to a high degree of complementary nitrogen use between the two species for low N levels. Such results have been reported for several cereal/legume intercrops grown in arid, semi-arid, tropical and temperate climates (Fujita et al 1992;Ofori and Stern 1987;Jensen 1996a;Naudin et al 2010). Present results confirm that there is a negative correlation between grain yield-based LER and mean yield of the sole crops (Fig.…”

Section: The Lower the Soil Nitrogen Availability The Greater The Insupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The most obvious advantages emphasized when trying to convince farmers to adopt intercropping strategies are to improve and stabilize yields (Hauggaard-Nielsen et al 2009b;Lithourgidis et al 2006) and also to increase the cereal grain protein concentration as compared to the respective sole crops (Gooding et al 2007). Cereal/legume intercropping is regarded as highly relevant in low-N-input systems and organic farming where nitrogen is often a limiting resource for crop growth (Willey 1979a;Ofori and Stern 1987;Vandermeer 1989;Willey 1990;Fukai and Trenbath 1993;HauggaardNielsen et al 2003;David et al 2005;Desclaux et al 2008;Bedoussac andJustes 2010a, 2010b;Naudin et al 2010). Intercropping has also been shown to: (i) improve soil conservation (Anil et al 1998), (ii) favour weed control (Banik et al 2006;Corre-Hellou et al 2011), (iii) reduce pests and diseases (Trenbath 1993;Altieri 1999;Hauggaard-Nielsen et al 2007;Corre-Hellou and Crozat 2005;Ratnadass et al 2012) and (iv) provide better lodging resistance (Anil et al 1998).…”

Section: Advantages Expected By Cereal/legume Intercroppingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pictures of the same spot were taken at various times of the growth period. Sequence to be read from left to right and top to bottom 3.2 Intercropping with a non-legume increases the rate of atmospheric N 2 fixation but reduces the quantity of nitrogen fixed on an area basis Among other things, the greater efficiency generally observed in legume/cereal intercrops can be explained by the fact that the two intercropped species use mineral soil N and atmospheric N 2 in a complementary way (Ofori and Stern 1987;Jensen 1996a;Bedoussac andJustes 2010a, 2010b;CorreHellou et al 2006;Naudin et al 2010). This is of special interest in organic systems where soil mineral nitrogen can be a limiting factor while cropping legumes as sole crops can be considered as an inefficient way for utilizing the soil N sources, since the legumes can cover major part of their N requirements by N 2 -fixation.…”

Section: Partial Conclusion From "Section 2"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous studies suggest that intercrops are particularly suited to low-nitrogen-input systems (Willey 1979a(Willey , 1979bOfori and Stern 1987;Vandermeer 1989;Willey 1990;Fukai and Trenbath 1993;Jensen 1996a;Hauggaard-Nielsen et al 2003;Corre-Hellou et al 2006and Bedoussac and Justes 2010a, 2010b. For durum wheat/winter pea intercrops (Bedoussac and Justes 2010a), the biggest advantage of the intercrop is observed when the availability of nitrogen during growth is low.…”

Section: The Lower the Soil Nitrogen Availability The Greater The Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review

Bedoussac¹,

Journet

Hauggaard-Nielsen

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

578

460

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World population is projected to reach over nine billion by the year 2050, and ensuring food security while mitigating environmental impacts represents a major agricultural challenge. Thus, higher productivity must be reached through sustainable production by taking into account climate change, resources rarefaction like phosphorus and water, and losses of fertile lands. Enhancing crop diversity is increasingly recognized as a crucial lever for sustainable agro-ecological development. Growing legumes, a major biological nitrogen source, is also a powerful option to reduce synthetic nitrogen fertilizers use and associated fossil energy consumption. Organic farming, which does not allow the use of chemical, is also regarded as one prototype to enhance the sustainability of modern agriculture while decreasing environmental impacts. Here, we review the potential advantages of eco-functional intensification in organic farming by intercropping cereal and grain legume species sown and harvested together. Our review is based on a literature analysis reinforced with integration of an original dataset of 58 field experiments conducted since 2001 in contrasted pedo-climatic European conditions in order to generalize the findings and draw up common guidelines. The major points are that intercropping lead to: (i) higher and more stable grain yield than the mean sole crops (0.33 versus 0.27 kg m −2 ), (ii) higher cereal protein concentration than in sole crop (11.1 versus 9.8 %), (iii) higher and more stable gross margin than the mean sole crops (702 versus 577€ha −1 ) and (iv) improved use of abiotic resources according to species complementarities for light interception and use of both soil mineral nitrogen and atmospheric N 2 . Intercropping is particularly suited for low-nitrogen availability systems but further mechanistic understanding is required to propose generic crop management procedures. Also, development of this practice must be achieved with the collaboration of value chain actors such as breeders to select cultivars suited to intercropping.

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Section: The Lower the Soil Nitrogen Availability The Greater The Insupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Advantages Expected By Cereal/legume Intercroppingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Partial Conclusion From "Section 2"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Lower the Soil Nitrogen Availability The Greater The Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review

Bedoussac¹,

Journet

Hauggaard-Nielsen

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

578

460

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Intercropping is an agricultural practice which can be used for decreasing the dependency on chemical herbicides in weed control (Banik et al, 2006) and defined as the growth of two or more crop species simultaneously in the same field during a growing season (Ofori and Stern, 1987). Intercropping generate beneficial biological interactions between crops, increasing grain yield and stability, more efficient using available resources and reducing weed pressure ( Jenson et al, 2006;Kadziuliene et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weed Control in Maize-Cowpea Intercropping System Related to Environmental Resources Consumption

Eskandari¹,

Kazemi

2011

Not Sci Biol

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A field experiment was carried out in Ramhormoz, Iran during the 2008-2009 growing season to investigate the effects of different planting pattern of intercropping on environmental resource consumption and weed biomass. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was employed to compare the treatments. Treatments included maize sole crop (M), cow pea sole crop (C), within row intercropping (I 1 ), row intercropping (I 2 ) and mix cropping (I 3 ). The density of intercropping was according to replacement design (one maize replaced by three cow pea plants). The results showed that environmental resource consumption was significantly (P≤0.05) affected by cropping system, where PAR interception, moisture and nutrients uptake were higher in intercropping systems compared to sole crop systems. Regarding to weed control, intercrops were more effective than sole crops and it was related to lower availability of environmental resources for weeds in intercropping systems.

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Maize–legume strip cropping effect on productivity, income, and income risk of farmers in northern Ghana

Rahman

Larbi²,

Kotu

et al. 2021

Agronomy Journal

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Maize (Zea mays L.)-legume intercropping is common cropping system among smallholder farmers in West Africa. However, little is known about the income risk reduction associated with maize-legume strip cropping in West Africa. A 3-yr study was conducted in Upper West and Northern regions of Ghana to determine the effect of maize-legume strip cropping on productivity, income, and income risk using a randomized complete block design with five replications in each region. Seven treatments were used: sole crops of maize (M) cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] (C) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) (G), a combination of two rows of M and two rows of legumes (L) (2M:2C and 2M:2G), and two rows of M and four rows of L (2M:4C and 2M:4G). Maize-legume strip cropping options (2M:2L and 2M:4L) on the average saved 90-100% of agricultural land, significantly increased income by about threefold, and reduced risk of operating at a financial loss by 75% compared with sole cropping. Smallholder farmers, especially sole legume cropping farmers in the Guinea savanna of northern Ghana and similar agro-ecologies in West Africa, could adopt maize-legume strip cropping systems (2M:4L or 2M:2L) to mitigate production risk and increase financial return. How to cite this article: Abdul Rahman N, Larbi A, Kotu B, et al. Maize-legume strip cropping effect on productivity, income and income risk of farmers in Northern Ghana.

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Cereal–Legume Intercropping Systems

Cited by 587 publications

References 108 publications

Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review

Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review

Weed Control in Maize-Cowpea Intercropping System Related to Environmental Resources Consumption

Maize–legume strip cropping effect on productivity, income, and income risk of farmers in northern Ghana

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