Competitive relationship and

competition functions; biological and

agronomic basis of yield advantage
under intercropping
By
Rachna Rana

(A-2011-40-001)

Department of Agronomy, Forages and Grassland Management.

College of Agriculture
CSK HPKV
 Introduction
• Intercropping: It is growing two or more crops
simultaneously on the same piece of land with a definite
row pattern. For example, growing setaria+redgram in 5:1
ratio. It is divided into two types viz.

• Additive series: One crop is sown with 100 per cent of its
recommended population in pure stand which is known as
base crop. Another crop known as intercrop is introduced
into the base crop by adjusting or changing crop geometry.
The population of intercrop is less than its recommended
population in pure stand.
 
• Replacement series: Both the crops are called component
crops. By scarifying certain proportion of population of one
component, another component is introduced.
 Major intercropping systems are:
 
Parallel cropping
Companion cropping
Multi-storey/multi-tiered/multi-level cropping
Synergetic cropping
Alley cropping
Strip cropping
Contour cropping paired row cropping
Skip cropping
 Pre-requisites of successful intercropping

• The time of peak nutrient demands of component

crops should not overlap. In maize+green gram
intercropping system, the peak nutrient demand
period for green gram is around 35 days after
sowing while it is 50 days for maize.
• Competition for light should be minimum among
the component crops.
• Complementarity should exist between the
component crops.
• The differences in maturity of component crops
should be at least 30 days.
 Interactions in Intercropping
In intercropping and mixed cropping different
kinds of plants influence each other for:
• Solar radiation
•Water and nutrients
• Allelopathy
● True allelopathy
● Functional allelopathy
• Annidation
● Time
● Space
• Legume effect
• Physical support
 Interactions in intercropping

1.Solar radiation:
The taller component in the intercropping systems intercepts most of
the solar radiation while shorter component suffers.
In some intercropping systems, solar radiation is utilized efficiently
by both crops.
In groundnut+ red gram intercropping system, light interception is
prolonged as red gram starts growing after the harvest of groundnut.

2. Water and nutrients:

Competition for water and nutrients results in two main types of
effects on the less successful or suppressed component.
First, the roots of dominated crop may grow less on the sides of
aggressive component. The suppressed components adapt to such
conditions by increased capacity for uptake. Also, if one part of the
root system is on the depleted side, the remaining part shows
compensatory vigour and activity.
Secondly, plants affected by competition for soil factors are likely to
have increased root/shoot ratio.
3. Allelopathy:
 Allelopathy is any direct or indirect harmful effect that
one plant has on another through the release of
chemical substances or toxins in the root environment.
 Some crops may be unsuitable to be grown as
intercrops because they may produce and excrete
toxins into the soil which are harmful to other
components.
 Types of allelopathy
a) True allelopathy: The direct or indirect harmful
effect on the other crops through the release of toxic
substance as such from the plant.
b) Functional allelopathy: When precursor is released
which is converted into active substances by some
micro organisms, is categorized under functional
allelopathy.
4. Annidation:
 Annidation refers to complementary
interaction which occurs both in space and
time.
Annidation in space :
 The canopies of component crops may occupy
different vertical layers with taller component
tolerant to strong light and high evaporative
demand and the shorter component favouring
shade and high relative humidity.
 Multistoreyed cropping in coconut and
planting shade trees in cocoa and tea
plantations use this principle.
Annidation in time :
 When two crops of widely varying duration are planted, their
peak demands for light and nutrients are likely to occur at
different periods, thus reducing competition.
 When the early maturing crop is harvested, conditions
become favourable for the late maturing crop.
 This has been observed to occur in sorghum+ red gram,
groundnut+ red gram and maize+ green gram intercropping
systems.
5. Other complementary effects:
 In an intercropping system, involving a legume and a non-
legume, part of the nitrogen fixed in the root nodule of the
legume may become available to the non-legume component.
 Physical support by one species to the other in intercropping
system.
 Erect crop plants may improve the yield of a climber as in
case of coconut+ pepper and maize+ beans.
 
 
 Agronomic Requirement in Cropping System

• Agronomic considerations for different cropping

system are different due to inclusion of more than
one crop as in intercropping or sequence cropping
system.
• Intercrop is practiced with two objectives:
1) To get additional yields through and intercrop as
bonus and 
2) To avoid risk.
Management of Intercropping Systems:
Management practices followed in intercropping
systems aims to provide favourable environment to
all the components, exploit favourable interactions
among the component crops and minimize
competition among the components
1. Seedbed Preparation: 
 Seedbed preparation depends on the crop. Deep
rooted crops responds to deep ploughing while
for most of cereals shallow tillage is sufficient.
 The crops with small seed require fine seedbed.
Since more than one crop in intercropping, the
seedbed preparation is generally prepared as
per the needs of base crop. Sugarcane planted
in furrow and intercrop sown on ridges, certain
crops on flat seedbed.
 In rice + maize intercropping system, ridges
and trenches are formed. Maize is planted on
ridges and rice in trenches.
2. Varieties: 
 The varieties of component crops in intercropping
system should be less competing with the base crop
and peak nutrient demand period should different
from the base crop.
 Maturity period between two components is minimum
of 30 days. Hybrid varieties of sorghum like CSH -6,
CSH -9 are suitable for intercropping with long
duration variety of red gram like C11 and LRG 30
because of wider gap between maturity periods.
 The varieties selected for intercrop should be have
thin leaves, tolerant to shading and less branching.
 If the base crop is shorter than intercrop, the
intercrop should be compact with erect branching and
its early growth should be slow.
 The characteristics of the base crop should be as in
sole crop.
3. Sowing: 
 The practices of sowing are slightly altered to
accommodate inter- crop in such a way that it
cause less competition to the base crop.
 The spacing between two pairs of rows is
increased to accommodate the inter crop. Such
row arrangement of component crops within the
rows improves the amount of light transmitted to
the lower component crop, which can enhance
legume yield in cereal legume intercropping
system.
 These changes in crop geometry do not alter the
yield of base crop, but intercrops are benefited to
some extent.
 The intercropping system of groundnut + red
gram is either in 5:1 or 7:1 ratio and sorghum +
4. Fertilizer Application: 
 The nutrient uptake is generally more in
intercropping system compared to pure crops.
When the legume are associated with cereal crop in
intercropping system, legume supplement a portion
of nitrogen required of cereal crop.
 Application of higher dose of nitrogen to the cereal
+ legume intercropping system not only reduce the
nitrogen fixation capacity of legumes, but also
growth of legume is suppressed by aggressive
cereals owing to fast growth.
5. Water Requirement: The technique of water
management is the same for sole cropping and
intercropping or sequential cropping. However, the
presence of an addition crop may have an important
effect on evapo- transpiration.
 At ICRISAT, the water requirement of sole sorghum and
intercropping with red gram was almost similar (584 and
585 mm, respectively).
 However, in a more competitive crop like onion as
intercropped in groundnut increase the total W.R by about
50mm.
 The total water used in intercropping system is almost
same as in sole crops, but yields are increased. Thus water
use efficiency of intercropping is higher than sole crops.
6. Weed Management: 
 Weed infestation depends on the crop, plant density and
cultural operation done. Weed problems is less in
intercropping system compared to the sole crops.
 The weed suppressing ability of intercrop is dependent
upon the component crops selected, genotype used, plant
density adopted, proportion of component crops, their
spatial arrangement and fertility moisture status of the soil.
 Chemical weed control is difficult in intercropping system because
the herbicide may be selective to one crop but non- selective to
another.
 Atrazine control weeds in sole sorghum, but it is not suitable for
sorghum + red gram intercropping system, as it is toxic to red
gram.
7. Pest and Disease in Intercropping System: 
 Pest and diseases are believed to be less in intercropping
system due to crop diversity than sole crops.
 The spread of the diseases is altered by the presence of
different crops. Little leaf of Brinjal is less when Brinjal is
sheltered by maize or sorghum, as the insect- carrying virus
first attacks maize or sorghum; virus infestation is less on
Brinjal.
 Non – host plant in mixtures may emit chemicals or odour that
affects the pests, thereby protecting host plants.
 ASSESSMENT OF
COMPETITION AND
YIELD ADVANTAGE
 Competitive relationship

Yield advantage of dominant species from

interspecific competition.
 Interspecific competition may occur when two crops are
grown together.
 Such competition usually decreases survival, growth or
reproduction of at least one species. In the wheat/maize or
wheat/soybean intercropping systems uptake by
intercropped wheat in north China, there is a 70 to 80
day overlapping growth period that causes intense
interspecific interactions between the intercropped
species.
 It means interspecific interaction increases growth,
nutrient uptake and yield of dominant species, but
decreases growth and nutrient uptake of the subordinate
species during the co-existence stage of two crop species.
• After the dominant species is harvested, the subordinate
species has a recovery or complementary process so
that the final yields remain unchanged or even
increase compared with corresponding sole species.
• Interspecific competition and facilitation occurs at the
same time.
• LER>1 could result from low interspecific
competition or strong facilitation.
The relationship between yield advantage of intercropping and interspecific
competition, facilitation, recovery and soil nitrate content
 Biological indices of yield advantage
1. Relative Yield Total and Land Equivalent Ratio:
 Most important index is RYT introduced by de Wit and
Van Den Bergh (1965) and LER by Willey (1979).
 The mixture yield of a component crop expressed as a
portion of its yield as a sole crop from the same
replacement series is the relative yield of the crop
and the sum of the relative yields of component crops
is called relative yield total (RYT).
 The total land area required under sole cropping to
give the same yields obtained in the intercropping
mixture is called land equivalent ratio (LER).
 Both the expressions (RYT and LER) are similar.
 If the two crop yields in the intercrop mixture are
MA and MB and the yield of crops grown as sole
crop are SA and SB, then the combined index is
L = (MA/SA) + (MB/SB) = LA + LB
o A value of L greater than one (1) indicates an
overall biological advantage of intercropping.
o The two components of the index, LA and LB
represent the efficiency of yield production of each
crop when grown in a mixture, relative to sole crop
performance.
2. Relative Crowding Coefficient:
 It is used in replacement series of intercropping.
 It indicates whether a species or crop, when grown in
mixed population, has produced more or less yield than
expected in pure stand.
In 50:50 mixture:
Kab (RCC) = Yab/(Yaa – Yab)
For all mixture:
Kab = (Yab x Zba)/(Yaa – Yab) Zab
Where, Yab = mixture yield of a crop grown with b
Yba = mixture yield of b crop grown with a
Yaa = yield in pure stand of crop a
Ybb = yield in pure stand of crop b
Zab = proportion of sown spp. A in mixture with b
Zba = proportion of sown spp. B in mixture with a
3. Aggressivity: = (Mixture yield of A/Expected yield of A)
– (Mixture yield of B/Expected yield of B)
= Yab/(Yaa x Zab) – Yba/(Ybb x Zba)
o An aggressivity value zero indicates that the component
species are equally competitive.
4. Competition index (CI): By Donald (1963)
 It is a measure to find out the yield of various crops when
grown together as well as separately.
 It indicates the yield per plant of different crops in mixture
and their respective pure stand on an unit area basis.
 If the yield of any crop, grown together is less than its
respective yield in pure stand then it is harmful
association but on increased yield means positive benefit.
 If competition index is less than one, there has been an
advantage of mixing. It is also an index of dominance.
CI = (Yaa – Yab) x (Ybb – Yba)
Yaa x Yab
5. Competition Ratio (CR): By Willey and Rao
(1980)
 It is simply the ratio of individual LERs of the two
component crops, but correcting for the
proportion in which they were initially sown.
6. Competition Coefficient (CC):
 Ratio of the Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC)
of any given spp, in the mixture.
CC =___RCC of given spp_____
Total RCC of all crops in mixture
 It is used to find out the relative crowding from
which maximum yield can be obtained without any
adverse effect on any of the species.
7. Area Time Equivalent Ratio (ATER) :
 It takes into account the duration of crops and permits
an evaluation of crops on yield per day basis.
 It is a modification of LER.
ATER = [(LA x DA) + (LB x DB)]/T
Where, LA and LB are relative yields or partial LERs
of component crops A and B
DA and DB are duration of crops A and B
T is the total duration of the intercropping system.
8. Staple Land Equivalent Ratio (SLER) :
 This concept is used where the primary objective is to
produce fixed yield of one component and some yield
of other crop.
SLER = MDA/SA + P[MB/SB]
Where, MDA is derived yield of A in mixture yield.
P is the proportion of land devoted for intercropping.
Thank you

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