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Note to the reader: This general fiche summarises all the environmental and climate impacts of INTERCROPPING found in a systematic review of 25 synthesis research paperspapers [1]. These papers were selected, from an initial number of 111 yielded by a systematic literature search strategy, according to the inclusion criteria reported in section 4.   

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Description  

Intercropping is a farming method that involves cultivating two or more crop species (i.e., crop mixture cropping) or genotypes (i.e., cultivar mixture cropping) in the same area and coexisting for a time so that they interact agronomically [2] [3]. 

Key descriptors 

  • This review includes different types of intercropping [2] [4]: 
  • Mixed cropping: sowing multiple crop species or cultivars in the same field at the same time, in a mixture with a given seeding ratio but random spatial arrangement. 
  • Row intercropping: sowing multiple crop species in the same field at the same time in alternate rows. 
  • Strip intercropping: sowing two (or more) crop species in the same field at the same time in multi-row strips wide enough to allow independent cultivation. 
  • Relay cropping: intercropping of two crop species in which the second species is under-sown in the first at a later point in the growing season. 
  • This review includes intercropping applied to cash crops, fodder (one study) and cover crops 5 (one study). 
  • This review does not include alley cropping, i.e., the cultivation of food, forage or specialty crops between rows of trees, and dual-purpose cropping, i.e. the cultivation of two or more crops used for grazing by livestock and for grain. These two practices are assessed in separate sets of fiches.  

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Ref. Num 

Authors 

Year 

Title 

Reference 

DOI 

1 

Gibson, AK; Nguyen, AE 

2021 

Does genetic diversity protect host populations from parasites? A meta-analysis across natural and agricultural systems 

Evol. Lett. 5, 16-32 

10.1002/evl3.206 

2 

Tang, XY; Zhang, CC; Yu, Y; Shen, JB; van der Werf, W; Zhang, FS 

2021 

Intercropping legumes and cereals increases phosphorus use efficiency; a meta-analysis 

Plant Soil 460, 89–104 

10.1007/s11104-020-04768-x 

3 

Daryanto, S; Fu, BJ; Zhao, WW; Wang, S; Jacinthe, PA; Wang, LX 

2020 

Ecosystem service provision of grain legume and cereal intercropping in Africa 

Agric. Syst. 178, 102761 

10.1016/j.agsy.2019.102761 

4 

Li, CJ; Hoffland, E; Kuyper, TW; Yu, Y; Li, HG; Zhang, CC; Zhang, FS; van der Werf, W 

2020 

Yield gain, complementarity and competitive dominance in intercropping in China: A meta-analysis of drivers of yield gain using additive partitioning 

Eur J Agron. 113, 125987 

10.1016/j.eja.2019.125987 

5 

Li, CJ; Hoffland, E; Kuyper, TW; Yu, Y; Zhang, CC; Li, HG; Zhang, FS; van der Werf, W 

2020 

Syndromes of production in intercropping impact yield gains 

Nat. Plants 6, 653–660 

10.1038/s41477-020-0680-9 

6 

Rodriguez, C; Carlsson, G; Englund, JE; Flohr, A; Pelzer, E; Jeuffroy, MH; Makowski, D; Jensen, ES 

2020 

Grain legume-cereal intercropping enhances the use of soil-derived and biologically fixed nitrogen in temperate agroecosystems. A meta-analysis 

Eur. J. Agron. 118, 126077 

10.1016/j.eja.2020.126077 

7 

Xu, Z; Li, CJ; Zhang, CC; Yu, Y; van der Werf, W; Zhang, FS 

2020 

Intercropping maize and soybean increases efficiency of land and fertilizer nitrogen use; A meta-analysis 

Field Crops Res. 246, 107661 

10.1016/j.fcr.2019.107661 

8 

Zhang, CC; Dong, Y; Tang, L; Zheng, Y; Makowski, D; Yu, Y; Zhang, FS; van der Werf, W 

2019 

Intercropping cereals with faba bean reduces plant disease incidence regardless of fertilizer input; a meta-analysis 

Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 154, 931–942 

10.1007/s10658-019-01711-4 

9 

Ashworth, AJ; Toler, HD; Allen, FL; Auge, RM 

2018 

Global meta-analysis reveals agro-grassland productivity varies based on species diversity over time 

PloS One 13, e0200274. 

10.1371/journal.pone.0200274 

10 

Borg, J; Kiaer, LP; Lecarpentier, C; Goldringer, I; Gauffreteau, A; Saint-Jean, S; Barot, S; Enjalbert, J 

2018 

Unfolding the potential of wheat cultivar mixtures: A meta-analysis perspective and identification of knowledge gaps 

Field Crops Res. 221, 298-313 

10.1016/j.fcr.2017.09.006 

11 

Koricheva, J; Hayes, D 

2018 

The relative importance of plant intraspecific diversity in structuring arthropod communities: A meta-analysis 

Funct. Col. 32, 1704-1717 

10.1111/1365-2435.13062 

12 

Martin-Guay, MO; Paquette, A; Dupras, J; Rivest, D 

2018 

The new Green Revolution: Sustainable intensification of agriculture by intercropping 

Sci. Total Environ. 615, 767–772 

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.024 

13 

Reiss, ER; Drinkwater, LE 

2018 

Cultivar mixtures: a meta-analysis of the effect of intraspecific diversity on crop yield 

Ecol. Appl. 28, 62–77 

10.1002/eap.1629 

14 

Thapa, R; Poffenbarger, H; Tully, KL; Ackroyd, VJ; Kramer, M; Mirsky, SB 

2018 

Biomass production and nitrogen accumulation by hairy vetch-cereal rye mixtures: a meta-analysis 

J. Agron. 91, 25–33 

10.2134/agronj2017.09.0544 

15 

Xiong, M; Sun, R; Chen, L; 

2018 

Effects of soil conservation techniques on water erosion control: A global analysis 

Sci. Total Environ. 645 753–760 

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.124 

16 

Himmelstein, J; Ares, A; Gallagher, D; Myers, J 

2017 

A meta-analysis of intercropping in Africa: impacts on crop yield, farmer income, and integrated pest management effects 

Int. J. Sustain. Agric. Res. 15, 1-10 

10.1080/14735903.2016.1242332 

17 

Raseduzzaman, M; Jensen, ES 

2017 

Does intercropping enhance yield stability in arable crop production ? A meta-analysis 

Eur. J. Agron. 91, 25–33 

10.1016/j.eja.2017.09.009 

18 

Yu, Y; Stomph, TJ; Makowski, D; Zhang, LZ; van der Werf, W 

2016 

A meta-analysis of relative crop yields in cereal/legume mixtures suggests options for management 

Field Crops Res. 198, 269–279 

10.1016/j.fcr.2016.08.001 

19 

Yu, Y; Stomph, TJ; Makowski, D; van der Werf, W 

2015 

Temporal niche differentiation increases the land equivalent ratio of annual intercrops: A meta-analysis 

Field Crops Res. 184, 133–144 

10.1016/j.fcr.2015.09.010 

20 

Iverson, AL; Marin, LE; Ennis, KK; Gonthier, DJ; Connor-Barrie, BT; Remfert, JL; Cardinale, BJ; Perfecto, I 

2014 

Do polycultures promote win-wins or trade-offs in agricultural ecosystem services? A meta-analysis 

J. Appl. Ecol. 51, 1593–1602 

10.1111/1365-2664.12334 

21 

Pelzer, E; Hombert, N; Jeuffroy, MH; Makowski, D 

2014 

Meta-analysis of the effect of nitrogen fertilization on annual cereal-legume intercrop production 

Agron. J. 106, 1775–1786 

10.2134/agronj13.0590 

22 

Slattery, RA; Ainsworth, EA; Ort, DR 

2013 

A meta-analysis of responses of canopy photosynthetic conversion efficiency to environmental factors reveals major causes of yield gap 

J. Exp. Bot. 12, 3723–3733 

10.1093/jxb/ert207 

23 

Huang, C; Sun, ZY; Wang, HG; Luo, Y; Ma, ZH 

2012 

Effects of wheat cultivar mixtures on stripe rust: A meta-analysis on field trials 

Crop Prot. 33, 52-58 

10.1016/j.cropro.2011.11.020 

24 

Letourneau, DK; Armbrecht, I; Rivera, BS; Lerma, JM; Carmona, EJ; Daza, MC; Escobar, S; Galindo, V; Gutierrez, C; Lopez, SD; Mejia, JL; Rangel, AMA; Rangel, JH; Rivera, L; Saavedra, CA; Torres, AM; Trujillo, AR 

2011 

Does plant diversity benefit agroecosystems? A synthetic review 

Ecol. Appl. 21, 9-21. 

10.1890/09-2026.1 

25 

Kiaer, LP; Skovgaard, IM; Ostergard, H 

2009 

Grain yield increase in cereal variety mixtures: A meta-analysis of field trials 

Field Crops Res. 114, 361–373 

10.1016/j.fcr.2009.09.006 

[1] Synthesis research papers include either meta-analysis or systematic reviews with quantitative results.

[2] Vandermeer, J. H. (1992). The ecology of intercropping. Cambridge University Press.

[3] Brooker, Rob W., et al. "Improving intercropping: a synthesis of research in agronomy, plant physiology and ecology." New Phytologist 206.1 (2015): 107-117.

[4] Ditzler, Lenora, et al. "Current research on the ecosystem service potential of legume inclusive cropping systems in Europe. A review." Agronomy for Sustainable Development 41.2 (2021): 1-13.

[5] Cover crops are plants that are planted to cover (and protect) the soil rather than for being harvested.