IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v11y2021i3p255-d519079.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Grain Yield Stability of Cereal-Legume Intercrops Is Greater Than Sole Crops in More Productive Conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Weih

    (Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Alison J. Karley

    (Ecological Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK)

  • Adrian C. Newton

    (Ecological Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK)

  • Lars P. Kiær

    (Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark)

  • Christoph Scherber

    (Research Group Animal Ecology and Multitrophic Interactions, Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
    Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Diego Rubiales

    (Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, Consejo Superior de Investigationes Científicas, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, Campus Alameda del Obispo, 14004 Córdoba, Spain)

  • Eveline Adam

    (Saatzucht Gleisdorf GmbH, Am Tieberhof 33, 8200 Gleisdorf, Austria)

  • James Ajal

    (Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Jana Brandmeier

    (Research Group Animal Ecology and Multitrophic Interactions, Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
    Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Silvia Pappagallo

    (Research Group Animal Ecology and Multitrophic Interactions, Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
    Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Angel Villegas-Fernández

    (Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, Consejo Superior de Investigationes Científicas, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, Campus Alameda del Obispo, 14004 Córdoba, Spain)

  • Moritz Reckling

    (Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
    Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Research Area 2 “Land Use and Governance”, Working Group Resource-Efficient Cropping Systems, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany)

  • Stefano Tavoletti

    (Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

Abstract

The intercropping of two or more crop species on the same piece of land at a given time has been hypothesized to enhance crop yield stability. To address this hypothesis, we assessed the grain yield stability of various barley-pea and wheat-faba bean mixtures grown in seven experimental field trials (locations) across Europe during two years with contrasting weather (2017 and 2018). Three different yield stability measures were used, all based on the expected yield variability of the mixture components grown as sole crops, and the corresponding observed yield variability of the same components grown in 50:50 mixtures in a replacement design. Stability indices were calculated as ratios between the expected and observed variabilities, with values > 1 indicating greater stability of the intercrops. Mean grain yields tended to be higher in intercrops than sole crops. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, the observed (intercrop) yield stability was similar or lower than the expected (sole crop) stability in most locations except one. Furthermore, yield stability significantly increased with increasing mean yields when assessed across differentially productive locations. The results are relevant for the designing of intercropping systems as a means to increase yield stability and the resilience of cropping systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Weih & Alison J. Karley & Adrian C. Newton & Lars P. Kiær & Christoph Scherber & Diego Rubiales & Eveline Adam & James Ajal & Jana Brandmeier & Silvia Pappagallo & Angel Villegas-Fernández & Mo, 2021. "Grain Yield Stability of Cereal-Legume Intercrops Is Greater Than Sole Crops in More Productive Conditions," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:255-:d:519079
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/3/255/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/3/255/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Emile A. Frison & Jeremy Cherfas & Toby Hodgkin, 2011. "Agricultural Biodiversity Is Essential for a Sustainable Improvement in Food and Nutrition Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Lukas Egli & Matthias Schröter & Christoph Scherber & Teja Tscharntke & Ralf Seppelt, 2020. "Crop asynchrony stabilizes food production," Nature, Nature, vol. 588(7837), pages 7-12, December.
    3. Yongfan Wang & Marc W. Cadotte & Yuxin Chen & Lauchlan H. Fraser & Yuhua Zhang & Fengmin Huang & Shan Luo & Nayun Shi & Michel Loreau, 2019. "Global evidence of positive biodiversity effects on spatial ecosystem stability in natural grasslands," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hannah Jona von Czettritz & Seyed-Ali Hosseini-Yekani & Johannes Schuler & Kurt-Christian Kersebaum & Peter Zander, 2023. "Adapting Cropping Patterns to Climate Change: Risk Management Effectiveness of Diversification and Irrigation in Brandenburg (Germany)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Johannes Timaeus & Ties Ruigrok & Torsten Siegmeier & Maria Renate Finckh, 2022. "Adoption of Food Species Mixtures from Farmers’ Perspectives in Germany: Managing Complexity and Harnessing Advantages," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, May.
    3. Dowling, Alyce & Roberts, Penny & Doolette, Ashlea & Zhou, Yi & Denton, Matthew D., 2023. "Oilseed-legume intercropping is productive and profitable in low input scenarios," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    4. Lech Gałęzewski & Iwona Jaskulska & Dariusz Jaskulski & Edward Wilczewski & Marek Kościński, 2022. "Strip Intercrop of Barley, Wheat, Triticale, Oat, Pea and Yellow Lupine—A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Martin Weih & M. Inés Mínguez & Stefano Tavoletti, 2022. "Intercropping Systems for Sustainable Agriculture," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-4, February.
    6. Xian Liu, 2022. "Analysis of Crop Sustainability Production Potential in Northwest China: Water Resources Perspective," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fábio T. F. Silva & Alexandre Szklo & Amanda Vinhoza & Ana Célia Nogueira & André F. P. Lucena & Antônio Marcos Mendonça & Camilla Marcolino & Felipe Nunes & Francielle M. Carvalho & Isabela Tagomori , 2022. "Inter-sectoral prioritization of climate technologies: insights from a Technology Needs Assessment for mitigation in Brazil," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(7), pages 1-39, October.
    2. Lipy Adhikari & Sabarnee Tuladhar & Abid Hussain & Kamal Aryal, 2019. "Are Traditional Food Crops Really ‘Future Smart Foods?’ A Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Silvia Scaramuzzi & Sara Gabellini & Giovanni Belletti & Andrea Marescotti, 2021. "Agrobiodiversity-Oriented Food Systems between Public Policies and Private Action: A Socio-Ecological Model for Sustainable Territorial Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-32, November.
    4. Johannes Kotschi & Bernd Horneburg, 2018. "The Open Source Seed Licence: A novel approach to safeguarding access to plant germplasm," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(10), pages 1-7, October.
    5. Bourceret, Amélie & Accatino, Francesco & Robert, Corinne, 2024. "A modeling framework of a territorial socio-ecosystem to study the trajectories of change in agricultural phytosanitary practices," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 494(C).
    6. Ming Tang & Huchang Liao & Zhengjun Wan & Enrique Herrera-Viedma & Marc A. Rosen, 2018. "Ten Years of Sustainability (2009 to 2018): A Bibliometric Overview," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, May.
    7. Anna-Lisa Noack & Nicky Pouw, 2015. "A blind spot in food and nutrition security: where culture and social change shape the local food plate," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 169-182, June.
    8. Jay Bost, 2013. "Persea schiedeana : A High Oil “Cinderella Species” Fruit with Potential for Tropical Agroforestry Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Kliem, Lea & Sagebiel, Julian, 2023. "Consumers' preferences for commons-based and open-source produce: A discrete choice experiment with directional information manipulations," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    10. Zewen Hei & Huimin Xiang & Jiaen Zhang & Kaiming Liang & Jiawen Zhong & Meijuan Li & Xiaoqiao Ren, 2021. "Intercropping of Rice and Water Mimosa ( Neptunia oleracea Lour.): A Novel Model to Control Pests and Diseases and Improve Yield and Grain Quality while Reducing N Fertilizer Application," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Shangdong Yang & Jian Xiao & Ziyue Huang & Renliu Qin & Weizhong He & Limin Liu & Hongjian Liu & Aomei Li & Hongwei Tan, 2024. "Comparison of Soil Biological Properties and Bacterial Diversity in Sugarcane, Soybean, Mung Bean and Peanut Intercropping Systems," Journal of Agricultural Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(8), pages 1-54, April.
    12. Yanhui Chen & Guosheng Li & Linlin Cui & Lijuan Li & Lei He & Peipei Ma, 2022. "The Effects of Tidal Flat Reclamation on the Stability of the Coastal Area in the Jiangsu Province, China, from the Perspective of Landscape Structure," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, March.
    13. Andrieu, N. & Blundo-Canto, G. & Cruz-Garcia, G.S., 2019. "Trade-offs between food security and forest exploitation by mestizo households in Ucayali, Peruvian Amazon," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 64-77.
    14. Ramazan Çakmakçı & Mehmet Ali Salık & Songül Çakmakçı, 2023. "Assessment and Principles of Environmentally Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-27, May.
    15. Stan Selbonne & Loïc Guindé & François Causeret & Pierre Chopin & Jorge Sierra & Régis Tournebize & Jean-Marc Blazy, 2023. "How to Measure the Performance of Farms with Regard to Climate-Smart Agriculture Goals? A Set of Indicators and Its Application in Guadeloupe," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, January.
    16. Maria Gialeli & Andreas Y. Troumbis & Constantinos Giaginis & Sousana K. Papadopoulou & Ioannis Antoniadis & Georgios K. Vasios, 2023. "The Global Growth of ‘Sustainable Diet’ during Recent Decades, a Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-23, August.
    17. Heather E. Schier & Kathrin A. Eliot & Sterling A. Herron & Lauren K. Landfried & Zoë Migicovsky & Matthew J. Rubin & Allison J. Miller, 2019. "Comparative Analysis of Perennial and Annual Phaseolus Seed Nutrient Concentrations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, May.
    18. Pedro Daleo & Juan Alberti & Enrique J. Chaneton & Oscar Iribarne & Pedro M. Tognetti & Jonathan D. Bakker & Elizabeth T. Borer & Martín Bruschetti & Andrew S. MacDougall & Jesús Pascual & Mahesh Sank, 2023. "Environmental heterogeneity modulates the effect of plant diversity on the spatial variability of grassland biomass," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    19. Yunan Lin & Hao Wang & Yanqing Chen & Jiarui Tan & Jingpeng Hong & Shen Yan & Yongsheng Cao & Wei Fang, 2023. "Modelling Distributions of Asian and African Rice Based on MaxEnt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-11, February.
    20. Davis, Natalie & Jarvis, Andrew & Polhill, J. Gareth, 2022. "Co-evolution of network structure and consumer inequality in a spatially explicit model of energetic resource acquisition," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 608(P1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:255-:d:519079. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.