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Climate change, soil degradation and depletion of natural resources are becoming the most prominent challenges for crop productivity and environmental sustainability in modern agriculture. In the scenario of conventional farming system, limited chances are available to cope with these issues. Relay cropping is a method of multiple cropping where on...
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European agriculture is facing increasing economic, environmental, institutional, and social challenges, from changes in demographic trends to the effects of climate change. In this context of high instability, the agricultural sector in Europe needs to improve its resilience and sustainability. Local assessments and strategies at the farming syste...
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... The success of intercropping largely depends on selecting the appropriate row proportions [13]. One critical factor is the spacing and arrangement of rows for both the main and intersown crops. ...
Climate change and the increasing demand for food necessitate innovative agricultural methods. Relay intercropping, where one crop is sown into another already-grown crop, offers a promising alternative to traditional systems. In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, a field experiment was conducted to assess the relay intercropping of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ssp. polistichon) with soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr). This experiment took place at the Brody Experimental and Educational Station of the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Poland. Soybean was sown into designated strips within the barley field, and both crops were cultivated simultaneously until the barley was harvested. After the barley harvest, the soybean plants continued to grow and were harvested at full maturity. The results varied between the two years of this experiment. In the first year, characterized by drought conditions, the soybean yield was completely lost, while the barley maintained a stable yield. In the second year, with more favorable weather, the yields of barley and soybean were interdependent. The use of the relay intercropping system did not increase the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) above 1. Additionally, total protein yield remained consistent across different cultivation systems. Relay intercropping can serve as a method for protecting crop protein yields under adverse weather conditions and may offer a viable alternative for soybean cultivation in challenging climates.
... Relay intercropping has been less researched than other types of mixed cropping 25 and adoption is not widespread-primarily restricted to China, North America, and regions in Africa. Relay cropping can be productive and profitable with some studies finding benefits for disease and pest reduction 26,27 . Relay intercropping, with its distinct field arrangement, also holds promise for promoting soil health. ...
There is growing interest in intercropping as a practice to increase productivity per unit area and ecosystem functioning in agricultural systems. Relay intercropping with soy and winter wheat may benefit soil health due to increased diversity and longer undisturbed soil cover, yet this remains largely unstudied. Using a field experiment in Eastern Germany, we studied the temporal dynamics of chemical, biological, and physical indicators of soil health in the topsoil over a year of cultivation to detect early effects of soy-wheat relay intercropping compared to sole cropping. Indicators included microbial abundance, permanganate-oxidizable carbon, carbon fractions, pH, and water infiltration. Relay intercropping showed no unique soil health benefits compared to sole cropping, likely affected by drought that stressed intercropped soy. Relay intercropping did, however, maintain several properties of both sole crops including an increased MAOM C:N ratio and higher soil water infiltration. The MAOM C:N ratio increased by 4.2 and 6.2% in intercropping and sole soy and decreased by 5% in sole wheat. Average near-saturated soil water infiltration rates were 12.6, 14.9, and 6.0 cm hr⁻¹ for intercropping, sole wheat, and sole soy, respectively. Cropping system did not consistently affect other indicators but we found temporal patterns of these indicators, showing their sensitivity to external changes.
... Climate change, soil degradation and depletion of natural resources are becoming key challenges for crop productivity as well as environmental sustainability in modern agriculture (Tanveer et al., 2017). The answer to the challenges mentioned is the concept of sustainable agriculture. ...
The future of humans and our planet, and food security,
require innovative insights across many sectors of the economy
(industry, agriculture, forestry, science and technology develop-
ment). Reducing the use of chemicals, recycling carbon and re-
covering nutrients, caring for soil health, producing healthy food
and adapting to climate change are the main challenges facing
modern agriculture. The high proportion of soils low in organic
matter, combined with manure shortages in some regions of Po-
land, poses a serious problem for maintaining the soil’s ability
to perform productive and environmental functions. The use of
selectively collected biodegradable waste, which contains signifi-
cant amounts of organic matter, can be a key strategy for supple-
menting soil organic matter deficits. Green waste, kitchen waste,
plant biomass produced in agriculture are valuable materials that,
when processed through energy production,should become bio-
fertilisers in line with the circular economy. Soil micro-organisms
play an important role in the decomposition of organic matter and
participate in the circulation and provision of nutrients to plants.
Their role also includes fixing atmospheric nitrogen, stabilising
soil aggregates, participating in the formation of soil humus and
detoxifying soil from harmful substances present in the soil envi-
ronment. Research to date confirms that biogas plant digestate
can be a valuable fertiliser and has the potential to restore soil
biological quality. There are virtually no reports indicating a ne-
gative effect of the digestate on the biological quality of the soil,
especially when using digestate from agricultural substrates. This
fact indicates that the potential of digestate in soil regeneration
is significant, given its effects on soil biology, soil carbon and
nutrient provision, and soil structure. It is more difficult to as-
sess the impact of the digestate on soil biodiversity, especially
the structure of the microbial population, which is strongly de-
pendent on a number of soil, climatic and crop influences. An
important aspect this review is the presentation of research needs
for the potential of using digestate to regenerate soil and stimulate
its biological life.
... Relay intercropping systems are suggested as a solution for the efficient use of available resources such as water (Tanveer et al., 2017). Greater water consumptions of intercropping systems than that of monoculture considering entire growth season have been previously reported (Yin et al., 2020). ...
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) relay strip intercropping involves cultivating wheat sown in autumn and cotton sown in spring, allowing the two crops to grow together for ∼2 months. Despite its prevalence in cotton‐growing regions globally, this agricultural practice remains untapped in Turkey, where the emphasis on resource use efficiency and the competition between staple and cash crops are paramount. To address this, we conducted a study comparing three cropping systems under both well‐watered and limited water conditions: sole wheat with a row spacing of 13.5 cm, sole cotton with a row spacing of 70 cm, and an intercropping system consisting of four rows of wheat and two rows of cotton, with row spacings of 13.5 cm and 40.5 cm, respectively. In intercropped wheat and cotton, the relative wheat yield was 0.68, while the relative cotton yield was 0.73, resulting in a combined relative yield of 1.41 when compared to monoculture. The land equivalent ratio (1.44) and area time equivalent ratio (1.08) consistently exceeded 1.0, particularly under limited watering conditions and concurrent heat stress observed in the second year of the experiment. Our findings indicate that wheat–cotton relay intercropping holds significant potential as a highly effective approach to enhance the production of both cotton and wheat in Turkey, particularly in stressful conditions such as limited water availability.
... This method attempts the use of time and crop phenology cycles to escape certain biotic or abiotic conditions that may present an unfavorable growing environment. According to Tanveer et al. (2017), forms of intercropping under cassava management include: ...
... Autonomous machines are hypothesized to be capable of farming small, irregularly shape fields that will reduce land consolidation pressure, promote hedges, wetlands and in-field trees . Agricultural intensification solutions are suggested through addressing spatial and temporal (i.e., spatio-temporal) heterogeneity with autonomous mixed cropping systems (Slaughter, Giles and Downey, 2008;Tanveer et al., 2017;van Oort et al., 2020;Ditzler and Driessen, 2022;Donat et al., 2022) that could reduce synthetic input use, pest and diseases infestation, improve soil health, ecosystem services, and soil carbon and nitrogen. ...
... Autonomous machines are expected to be a game changer for open-field arable crop farming (Klerkx and Rose, 2020;Gackstetter et al., 2023) which would facilitate more diverse, agroecological and ecosystem services restoring farming practices (Daum, 2021;Pearson et al., 2022). Research suggests that within field heterogeneous, small-scale and spatio-temporal mixed cropping systems such as strip cropping (Ghaffarzadeh, Préchac and Cruse, 1994;Smith and Carter, 1998;Verdelli, Acciaresi and Leguizam´on, 2012), pixel cropping (Ditzler and Driessen, 2022), patch cropping (Grahmann et al., 2021;Donat et al., 2022), and relay cropping (Tanveer et al., 2017;Patel, 2020) enable more diverse cropping practices. However, more complex mixed cropping practices constrain autonomous farm management due to the technical difficulty of automating management with different plant heights and growth patterns (Ditzler and Driessen, 2022). ...
Research suggests autonomous machines in open field arable farming can enhance biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services restoration. It is hypothesized that autonomous equipment could be a profitable alternative to conventional machines with human operators irrespective of field size and shape or cropping systems. However, lack of agronomic, economic and technical data has constrained economic assessment. Noting this, this study evaluated the economics of field size and shape, and mixed cropping with autonomous machines using the Hands Free Hectare and Hands Free Farm (HFH&HFF) demonstration experience of Harper Adams University, UK. Using the Hands Free Hectare Linear Programming (HFH-LP) optimization model results indicated that autonomous machines in British farming decreased wheat production cost by €15/ton to €29/ton for small rectangular fields and €24/ton to €46/ton for small non-rectangular fields. Sensitivity scenarios of increasing wage rates and labour scarcity shows that autonomous farms adapted easily and profitably to changing scenarios, whilst conventional mechanized farms struggled. The ex-ante economic analysis of corn-soybean strip cropping in the North American Corn Belt of Indiana found that per annum return to operator labour, management and risk-taking (ROLMRT) was 162.58/ha higher for autonomous strip cropping as compared to whole field sole cropping and conventional strip cropping. Conventional strip cropping was only feasible with a substantial amount of labour availability. The ex-ante economic analyses of wheat - barley - flower mix - spring bean regenerative strip cropping practices show that for Great Britain autonomous regenerative strip cropping ROLMRT was £57,760 and £25,596 higher compared to whole field sole cropping and conventional regenerative strip cropping practices. The profitability of autonomous machines in small fields irrespective of field size and shape, strip cropping systems and regenerative practices imply that autonomous machines could offer a win-win farming solution that help achieve the production and environmental goals of arable farming.
... Relay intercropping of cereals and legumes provides another option in specific conditions, with increased land use equivalent ratio probably derived from increased nutrient use efficiency 94 . This could help increase biodiversity and reduce nutrient surpluses 95 although the practice needs optimisation and specialised machinery 96 . ...
Europe imports large amounts of soybean that are predominantly used for livestock feed, mainly sourced from Brazil, USA and Argentina. In addition, the demand for GM-free soybean for human consumption is project to increase. Soybean has higher protein quality and digestibility than other legumes, along with high concentrations of isoflavones, phytosterols and minerals that enhance the nutritional value as a human food ingredient. Here, we examine the potential to increase soybean production across Europe for livestock feed and direct human consumption, and review possible effects on the environment and human health. Simulations and field data indicate rainfed soybean yields of 3.1 ± 1.2 t ha⁻¹ from southern UK through to southern Europe (compared to a 3.5 t ha⁻¹ average from North America). Drought-prone southern regions and cooler northern regions require breeding to incorporate stress-tolerance traits. Literature synthesized in this work evidenced soybean properties important to human nutrition, health, and traits related to food processing compared to alternative protein sources. While acknowledging the uncertainties inherent in any modelling exercise, our findings suggest that further integrating soybean into European agriculture could reduce GHG emissions by 37–291 Mt CO2e year⁻¹ and fertiliser N use by 0.6–1.2 Mt year⁻¹, concurrently improving human health and nutrition.
... relay cropping (Patel, 2020;Tanveer et al., 2017) enable more diverse cropping practices. However, more complex mixed cropping practices constrain autonomous farm management due to the technical difficulty of automating management with different plant heights and growth patterns (Ditzler & Driessen, 2022). ...
Autonomous machines have the potential to maintain food production and agroecological farming resilience. However, autonomous complex mixed cropping is proving to be an engineering challenge because of differences in plant height and growth pattern. Strip cropping is technically the simplest mixed cropping system, but widespread use is constrained by higher labor requirements in conventional mechanized farms. Researchers have long hypothesized that autonomous machines (i.e., crop robots) might make strip cropping profitable, thereby allowing farmers to gain additional agroecological benefits. To examine this hypothesis, this study modeled ex‐ante scenarios for the Corn Belt of central Indiana, using the experience of the Hands Free Hectare‐Linear Programming (HFH‐LP) optimization model. Results show that per annum return to operator labor, management, and risk‐taking (ROLMRT) was 163/ha higher for the autonomous corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] strip crop farm compared to the whole field sole crop and the conventional strip crop farms, respectively, that were operated by human drivers. The conventional strip cropping practice was found challenging as this cropping system required four times more temporary hired labor than autonomous strip cropping and three times more than whole field sole cropping. Even if autonomous machines need 100% human supervision, the ROLMRT was higher compared to whole field sole cropping. Profitable autonomous strip cropping could restore and improve in‐field biodiversity and ecosystem services through a sustainable techno‐economic and environmental approach that will address the demand for healthier food and promote environmental sustainability.
... Unlike the standard calibration in other studies, where parameters are assumed to be constant in any environment (Rincent et al., 2019), IC also considers genotype-environment interactions indirectly. In relay-row intercropping, the later-sown crops were suppressed by the dominant crop in the early phase and recovery growth commenced after the dominant crop's harvest (Tanveer et al., 2017). However, species with lower resilience to shading are likely to perform poorly in the recovery phase and in the end cannot reach the genetic potential of the cultivar (Fan et al., 2018). ...
Moving from sole cropping to intercropping is a transformative change in agriculture, contributing to several ecosystem services. However, modelling intercropping is challenging due to intensive parameterisation, complex calibration, and experiment scarcity. To facilitate future understanding, design and adaptation of intercropping, it is therefore necessary to develop simple modelling routines capable of simulating essential features. In this paper, we integrated a light competition module requiring four parameters into MONICA, a generic agroecosystem model, with the goal of simulating a wheat–soybean relay-row intercropping system. We tested three calibration approaches using data from two years of field experiments located in Müncheberg, Germany: sole cropping-based calibration, intercropping-based calibration and a default calibration method that incorporates both systems. Under both irrigated and rainfed conditions, MONICA successfully reproduced the aboveground biomass and yield of sole crops from field experiments, with RMSEA ranging from 0.64 t ha−1 to 2.74 t ha−1 and RMSEY ranging from 0.003 t ha−1 to 0.47 t ha−1. By taking light competition into account, the modified MONICA was able to simulate interactive performance in relay-row intercropping. Generally, MONICA overestimated the aboveground biomass and yield across the three calibration strategies, and simulations for wheat were more accurate than those for soybean. However, a comparison among the calibration strategies revealed that the intercropping-based strategy outperformed the others. It significantly improved the model efficiency for soybean yield in intercropping, increasing the Index of Agreement from 0.27 to 0.73, and it decreased the Mean Bias Error for yield by up to 76%. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using a model that is simple in both calibration and inputs, yet detailed enough to simulate the complex aboveground light competition of intercropping. Additionally, they underscore the significance of cropping system specific calibration, highlighting the importance of calibrating crop performance specifically for intercropping in order to capture genotype-by-environment interactions.
... Relay cropping is a cropping system that allows the cultivation of many crops where one crop is seeded into an established crop field before harvesting [15]. This system enables the farmers to cultivate two crops in a growing season, especially in areas with inadequate land for farming [16]. ...
