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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 the biggest yield advantages is discussed. Sustainable intensification of agriculture is needed to meet higher future food demands while mitigating agriculture’s ecological footprint. Intercropping is a strategy for increasing agricultural productivity per unit of land that is based on ecological mechanisms for improved resource capture.
Here we use meta-analysis of the intercropping literature to study how the productivity of mixed systems is affected by intercrop system design and species traits. We at CCRES are focused on the effects of temporal niche differentiation between species, intercropping patterns, and relative densities. Thus, enhanced within-field crop diversity can make an important contribution to sustainable increases in food production.
