Temporal niche differentiation increases the land equivalent ratio of annual intercrops: A meta-analysis

• Published in: Field crops research Vol. 184; pp. 133 - 144
• Main Authors: Yu, Yang, Stomph, Tjeerd-Jan, Makowski, David, van der Werf, Wopke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2015; Elsevier
• Subjects: C3 plants; C4 plants; Centre for Crop Systems Analysis; crops; ecological footprint; fertilizer rates; food production; Intercropping; Land equivalent ratio; land use; legumes; Life Sciences; Meta-analysis; nitrogen fertilizers; Nutrients; PE&RC; sustainable agricultural intensification; systems engineering; Temporal niche differentiation; Land equivalent ratio; Nutrients; Temporal niche differentiation; Intercropping; Meta-analysis; agriculture; surface agricole; interculture; interplanting; intensification agricole; agricultural land

•Meta-analysis of the intercropping literature shows that average LER is 1.22±0.02.•An index (TND) is proposed to quantify temporal niche differentiation in intercrops.•LER increases with TND in C3/C4 intercrops but not in C3/C3 intercrops.•LER decreases with rate of N fertilizer at low TND.•The neg...