Our demand for food is growing, and now at 7.5 billion, the global population is estimated to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050. Therefore, we have to increase the current food production to meet the future food demand. Multiple cropping systems, especially cereal-legume intercropping systems or legume-based agroforestry systems, could be the smart strategies to harvest and achieve higher crop yields under the scenario of limited resources. Additionally, the improvement in crop yields, especially with reduced inputs, has received significant attention from many researchers worldwide, aiming to find the reasons for higher crop yields of intercrops in intercropping systems. However, crops under intercropping/multiple cropping systems experience different types of growing conditions than sole cropping systems, which influences the plant functional processes positively or negatively, leading to advantages or disadvantages of intercropping systems. The advantages or disadvantages of intercropping/multiple cropping systems may be explained by; (i) complementary or competitive resource use between intercrop species, respectively, and (ii) spatial or temporal differentiation between intercrop species in cereal-legume intercropping or relay intercropping systems. Apart from the manifold benefits of intercropping, this practice has not achieved that status in many parts of the world. The mechanized and compatible cropping system specifically for intercropping is a major practical challenge to its large-scale development and promotion. There is evidence that efficient resource utilization such as nutrients, water, and light assessed in monocropping is not well predicted in the intercropping environment. Identification of the attributes involved in resource complementarities and interaction of intercropped crops showed great potential for intercropping systems. Reduced fertilizer use, making it easier to control weeds, fewer insect and pest attacks, and suppressed greenhouse gas emissions in multiple cropping systems or intercropping diversity show promising development for a safe environment. Furthermore, the genetic regulation of photosynthesis and shade alleviation strategies show great potential in developing oriented resource utilization and dedicated potential of intercropping for future challenges.
This research topic aims to gather new insights in entomology, ecophysiology, agronomy, and forestry, integrating theoretical, experimental, and participatory approaches under cereal-legume intercropping systems or legume-based agroforestry systems.
We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to:
• Morphological and functional responses of intercrop species in intercropping systems.
• Relationship between water use efficiency and yields of intercrop species in intercropping systems.
• Photosynthetic use efficiency of intercropped crops with respect to their yield potential.
• Distribution of nutrients and trade-off mechanism of intercropped crops.
• The exchange of nutrient status between the intercropped crops.
• Dry matter production and distribution patterns in intercrop species under intercropping systems
• Highlighting the plant-plant interaction traits, i. e., agronomical, physiological, and genetic, under shade or intercropping environment
• The effects of sole or combined factors on legume-based intercropping, including weeds, diseases, and insects.
Our demand for food is growing, and now at 7.5 billion, the global population is estimated to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050. Therefore, we have to increase the current food production to meet the future food demand. Multiple cropping systems, especially cereal-legume intercropping systems or legume-based agroforestry systems, could be the smart strategies to harvest and achieve higher crop yields under the scenario of limited resources. Additionally, the improvement in crop yields, especially with reduced inputs, has received significant attention from many researchers worldwide, aiming to find the reasons for higher crop yields of intercrops in intercropping systems. However, crops under intercropping/multiple cropping systems experience different types of growing conditions than sole cropping systems, which influences the plant functional processes positively or negatively, leading to advantages or disadvantages of intercropping systems. The advantages or disadvantages of intercropping/multiple cropping systems may be explained by; (i) complementary or competitive resource use between intercrop species, respectively, and (ii) spatial or temporal differentiation between intercrop species in cereal-legume intercropping or relay intercropping systems. Apart from the manifold benefits of intercropping, this practice has not achieved that status in many parts of the world. The mechanized and compatible cropping system specifically for intercropping is a major practical challenge to its large-scale development and promotion. There is evidence that efficient resource utilization such as nutrients, water, and light assessed in monocropping is not well predicted in the intercropping environment. Identification of the attributes involved in resource complementarities and interaction of intercropped crops showed great potential for intercropping systems. Reduced fertilizer use, making it easier to control weeds, fewer insect and pest attacks, and suppressed greenhouse gas emissions in multiple cropping systems or intercropping diversity show promising development for a safe environment. Furthermore, the genetic regulation of photosynthesis and shade alleviation strategies show great potential in developing oriented resource utilization and dedicated potential of intercropping for future challenges.
This research topic aims to gather new insights in entomology, ecophysiology, agronomy, and forestry, integrating theoretical, experimental, and participatory approaches under cereal-legume intercropping systems or legume-based agroforestry systems.
We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to:
• Morphological and functional responses of intercrop species in intercropping systems.
• Relationship between water use efficiency and yields of intercrop species in intercropping systems.
• Photosynthetic use efficiency of intercropped crops with respect to their yield potential.
• Distribution of nutrients and trade-off mechanism of intercropped crops.
• The exchange of nutrient status between the intercropped crops.
• Dry matter production and distribution patterns in intercrop species under intercropping systems
• Highlighting the plant-plant interaction traits, i. e., agronomical, physiological, and genetic, under shade or intercropping environment
• The effects of sole or combined factors on legume-based intercropping, including weeds, diseases, and insects.