The Concept of a ‘Land Equivalent Ratio’ and Advantages in Yields from Intercropping
R. Mead,R. W. Willey +1 more
TLDR
In this paper, the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) concept is considered for situations where inter-cropping must be compared with growing each crop sole, and a method of calculating an effective LER is proposed to evaluate situations where the yield proportions achieved in intercropping are different from those that might be required by a farmer.Abstract:
Criteria for evaluating different intercropping situations are suggested, and the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) concept is considered for situations where intercropping must be compared with growing each crop sole. The need to use different standardizing sole crop yields in forming LERs is discussed, and a method of calculating an ‘effective LER’ is proposed to evaluate situations where the yield proportions achieved in intercropping are different from those that might be required by a farmer. The possible importance of effective LERs in indicating the proportions of crops likely to give biggest yield advantages is discussed.read more
Citations
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Book ChapterDOI
Cereal–Legume Intercropping Systems
Francis Ofori,W.R. Stern +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors described the various aspects of cereal-legume intercropping systems Intercropping is the growing of two or more crop species simultaneously in the same field during a growing season.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mixing plant species in cropping systems: concepts, tools and models. A review
Eric Malézieux,Yves Crozat,Christian Dupraz,Marilyne Laurans,David Makowski,H. Ozier-Lafontaine,Bruno Rapidel,S. de Tourdonnet,Muriel Valantin-Morison +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, a literature survey shows potential advantages such as higher overall productivity, better control of pests and diseases, enhanced ecological services and greater economic profitability for mixed species cropping systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review.
Laurent Bedoussac,Etienne-Pascal Journet,Etienne-Pascal Journet,Henrik Hauggaard-Nielsen,Christophe Naudin,Guénaëlle Corre-Hellou,Erik Steen Jensen,Loïc Prieur,Eric Justes +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential advantages of eco-functional intensification in organic farming by intercropping cereal and grain legume species sown and harvested together are reviewed 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.
Journal ArticleDOI
Indices of plant competition
TL;DR: This essay compiles and discusses more than 50 indices that have been used in studies of plant competition, and indicates that indices have to be used in conjunction with studies of the chronology, circumstances and composition of plant associations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Competition indices of common vetch and cereal intercrops in two seeding ratio
TL;DR: A 2-year field study was conducted using common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), triticale (xTriticosecale Wittmack), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and oat (Avena sativa l.) pure stands as well as two commonvetch-cereal mixtures for silage with each of the above four cereals in two seeding ratios (i.e., vetch:cereal 55:45 and 65:35, based on seed
References
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Book ChapterDOI
Competition Among Crop and Pasture Plants
TL;DR: The fuller understanding of competition among plants requires a greater knowledge of the response of plants to their environment, especially of theresponse to the environmental stresses created by neighbors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Competition between herbage plants
C.T. de Wit,J.P. van den Bergh +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, a model of competition between herbage plants is discussed and it is shown that mutual interference can only be described adequately if they are grown in mixture and also in monoculture.
Journal ArticleDOI
Studies on mixtures of maize and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) with particular reference to plant population
R. W. Willey,D. S. O. Osiru +1 more
TL;DR: The maize was found to have the higher relative competitive ability, and this increased with increase in plant population pressure, and it is suggested that this was probably due to the shading effect which the maize had on the beans.
Journal ArticleDOI
Studies on mixtures of dwarf sorghum and beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) with particular reference to plant population
D. S. O. Osiru,R. W. Willey +1 more
TL;DR: An experiment is described in which the possible yield benefits of mixing dwarf sorghum and beans were examined under intensive farming conditions and it was concluded that these yield increases must have been due to a greater utilization of environmental resources.
Journal ArticleDOI
Use of a Systematic Spacing Design as an Aid to the Study of Inter-cropping: Some General Considerations
P. A. Huxley,Z. Maingu +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the relative advantages or otherwise of inter-cropping compared with sole cropping are assessed over a wide range of plant populations, and the interpretation of the yield/plant population curves can be derived.