Abstract
Intercropping is the process of planting two or more crops simultaneously in the same field in order to provide greater ecosystem services (i.e. services related to sustainable land and water use, climate change mitigation, and ecosystem restoration). In southern Mexico, the cereal-legume intercropping is a traditional cropping practice that is declining overtime. This paper provides a literature review of the potential benefits and constraints of a maize-legume intercropping for small-scale farms in southern Mexico. This review explored and elucidated the different ecosystem services delivered by maize-legume intercropping systems. This information will help farmers know how to make a better use of cereal-legume intercropping systems to increase maize yields, improve their socioeconomic conditions, and enhance conservation agricultural practices in southern Mexico.
| Translated title of the contribution | Maize legume intercropping systems in southern Mexico: A review of benefits and challenges |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Article number | e20210409 |
| Journal | Ciencia Rural |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. All rights reserved.
Funding
This review was not funded by any institution. I would like to thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) for the PhD scholarship. We have no conflict of interest to declare. All authors contributed equally for the conception and writing of the manuscript.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica |
Keywords
- cover crop
- monocropping
- nitrogen fixation
- sustainability
- yield
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- General Veterinary
