intercrop

Intercrop, or intercropping, is the practice of cultivating two or more crop species in proximity within the same field during the same growing season. It aims to improve overall resource use efficiency, diversify production, reduce risk, and manage pests and diseases by exploiting complementary traits of the component crops. Intercropping contrasts with sole cropping, where a single crop occupies the field.

Common intercropping patterns include mixed intercropping, row intercropping, strip intercropping, and relay intercropping. Mixed intercropping places different crops together without distinct rows; row intercropping plants them in alternating rows; strip intercropping keeps crops in long narrow bands; relay intercropping starts a second crop before the first is harvested.

Successful intercropping requires selecting compatible species with complementary growth habits, rooting patterns, nutrient needs, and maturity dates. Planting density, timing, and spatial arrangement influence competitive interactions. Management practices such as weed control, pest management, and harvest scheduling must be adapted. Intercropping can increase system complexity and may require additional planning and labor.

Benefits include better use of light, water, and nutrients; improved soil fertility when legumes are involved; enhanced biodiversity and pest suppression; reduced weed pressure; and risk diversification. The effect on total yield is variable; researchers often use the land equivalent ratio (LER) to compare intercrops with sole crops; LER greater than 1 implies higher combined productivity per unit area.

Classic examples are maize and bean or maize and groundnut in the tropics; rice and legume intercrops; cereal–legume combinations in temperate regions. Intercropping can complicate harvest and processing, may require careful management to avoid excessive competition, and might not be suitable where machinery relies on uniform crop stands.