Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security
Intensive agriculture is based on the use of high-energy inputs and quality planting materials with assured irrigation, but it has failed to assure agricultural sustainability because of creation of ecological imbalance and degradation of natural resources. On the other hand, intercropping systems,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/343 |
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| author | Sagar Maitra Akbar Hossain Marian Brestic Milan Skalicky Peter Ondrisik Harun Gitari Koushik Brahmachari Tanmoy Shankar Preetha Bhadra Jnana Bharati Palai Jagadish Jena Urjashi Bhattacharya Sarath Kumar Duvvada Sagar Lalichetti Masina Sairam |
| author_facet | Sagar Maitra Akbar Hossain Marian Brestic Milan Skalicky Peter Ondrisik Harun Gitari Koushik Brahmachari Tanmoy Shankar Preetha Bhadra Jnana Bharati Palai Jagadish Jena Urjashi Bhattacharya Sarath Kumar Duvvada Sagar Lalichetti Masina Sairam |
| author_sort | Sagar Maitra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Intensive agriculture is based on the use of high-energy inputs and quality planting materials with assured irrigation, but it has failed to assure agricultural sustainability because of creation of ecological imbalance and degradation of natural resources. On the other hand, intercropping systems, also known as mixed cropping or polyculture, a traditional farming practice with diversified crop cultivation, uses comparatively low inputs and improves the quality of the agro-ecosystem. Intensification of crops can be done spatially and temporally by the adoption of the intercropping system targeting future need. Intercropping ensures multiple benefits like enhancement of yield, environmental security, production sustainability and greater ecosystem services. In intercropping, two or more crop species are grown concurrently as they coexist for a significant part of the crop cycle and interact among themselves and agro-ecosystems. Legumes as component crops in the intercropping system play versatile roles like biological N fixation and soil quality improvement, additional yield output including protein yield, and creation of functional diversity. But growing two or more crops together requires additional care and management for the creation of less competition among the crop species and efficient utilization of natural resources. Research evidence showed beneficial impacts of a properly managed intercropping system in terms of resource utilization and combined yield of crops grown with low-input use. The review highlights the principles and management of an intercropping system and its benefits and usefulness as a low-input agriculture for food and environmental security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:52:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72d849010ab14c1ca5375cf3a65e71b8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:52:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-72d849010ab14c1ca5375cf3a65e71b82023-12-11T17:04:24ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-02-0111234310.3390/agronomy11020343Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental SecuritySagar Maitra0Akbar Hossain1Marian Brestic2Milan Skalicky3Peter Ondrisik4Harun Gitari5Koushik Brahmachari6Tanmoy Shankar7Preetha Bhadra8Jnana Bharati Palai9Jagadish Jena10Urjashi Bhattacharya11Sarath Kumar Duvvada12Sagar Lalichetti13Masina Sairam14Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaBangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, Dinajpur 5200, BangladeshDepartment of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, SlovakiaDepartment of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Environment and Zoology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, SlovakiaDepartment of Agricultural Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Enterprise Development, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, 00100 Nairobi, KenyaBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur 741252, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaIndira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur 492 012, IndiaBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur 741252, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaCenturion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, IndiaIntensive agriculture is based on the use of high-energy inputs and quality planting materials with assured irrigation, but it has failed to assure agricultural sustainability because of creation of ecological imbalance and degradation of natural resources. On the other hand, intercropping systems, also known as mixed cropping or polyculture, a traditional farming practice with diversified crop cultivation, uses comparatively low inputs and improves the quality of the agro-ecosystem. Intensification of crops can be done spatially and temporally by the adoption of the intercropping system targeting future need. Intercropping ensures multiple benefits like enhancement of yield, environmental security, production sustainability and greater ecosystem services. In intercropping, two or more crop species are grown concurrently as they coexist for a significant part of the crop cycle and interact among themselves and agro-ecosystems. Legumes as component crops in the intercropping system play versatile roles like biological N fixation and soil quality improvement, additional yield output including protein yield, and creation of functional diversity. But growing two or more crops together requires additional care and management for the creation of less competition among the crop species and efficient utilization of natural resources. Research evidence showed beneficial impacts of a properly managed intercropping system in terms of resource utilization and combined yield of crops grown with low-input use. The review highlights the principles and management of an intercropping system and its benefits and usefulness as a low-input agriculture for food and environmental security.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/343foodenvironmentintercroppingsecuritysustainability |
| spellingShingle | Sagar Maitra Akbar Hossain Marian Brestic Milan Skalicky Peter Ondrisik Harun Gitari Koushik Brahmachari Tanmoy Shankar Preetha Bhadra Jnana Bharati Palai Jagadish Jena Urjashi Bhattacharya Sarath Kumar Duvvada Sagar Lalichetti Masina Sairam Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security Agronomy food environment intercropping security sustainability |
| title | Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security |
| title_full | Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security |
| title_fullStr | Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security |
| title_short | Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security |
| title_sort | intercropping a low input agricultural strategy for food and environmental security |
| topic | food environment intercropping security sustainability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/2/343 |
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