Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security
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
Affiliations
Sagar Maitra
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Akbar Hossain
Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, Dinajpur 5200, Bangladesh
Marian Brestic
Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Milan Skalicky
Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Peter Ondrisik
Department of Environment and Zoology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Harun Gitari
Department of Agricultural Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Enterprise Development, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Koushik Brahmachari
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur 741252, India
Tanmoy Shankar
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Preetha Bhadra
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Jnana Bharati Palai
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Jagadish Jena
Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur 492 012, India
Urjashi Bhattacharya
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur 741252, India
Sarath Kumar Duvvada
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Sagar Lalichetti
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
Masina Sairam
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha 761211, India
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.