Resource capture, plant morphological traits and maize photosynthesis in intercropping

Summary

Intercropping is the planned cultivation of multiple crop species in a field for the whole or part of their growing periods. There is less information available on the potential of strip intercropping under conventional growing conditions in the Netherlands. In strip intercropping, plants are grown in strips of multiple rows of the same species to facilitate species-specific management. I study eco-physiological responses of plants to intercropping in different species combinations under conventional management to explore the potential of strip intercropping for an ecological intensification of conventional agriculture. The results indicate that increases in resource capture due to temporal complementarity between species underlie the productivity- increasing effects of strip intercropping. In strip intercropping, resource capture and conversion are modulated by plant trait responses to changes in the light environment and available nitrogen resulting from temporal complementarity.