Brooker Rob W, Bennett Alison E, Cong Wen-Feng, Daniell Tim J, George Timothy S, Hallett Paul D, Hawes Cathy, Iannetta Pietro P M, Jones Hamlyn G, Karley Alison J, Li Long, McKenzie Blair M, Pakeman Robin J, Paterson Eric, Schöb Christian, Shen Jianbo, Squire Geoff, Watson Christine A, Zhang Chaochun, Zhang Fusuo, Zhang Junling, White Philip J
New Phytol. 2015 Apr;206(1):107-117. doi: 10.1111/nph.13132. Epub 2014 Nov 3.
Intercropping is a farming practice involving two or more crop species, or genotypes, growing together and coexisting for a time. On the fringes of modern intensive agriculture, intercropping is important in many subsistence or low-input/resource-limited agricultural systems. By allowing genuine yield gains without increased inputs, or greater stability of yield with decreased inputs, intercropping could be one route to delivering ‘sustainable intensification’. We discuss how recent knowledge from agronomy, plant physiology and ecology can be combined with the aim of improving intercropping systems. Recent advances in agronomy and plant physiology include better understanding of the mechanisms of interactions between crop genotypes and species – for example, enhanced resource availability through niche complementarity. Ecological advances include better understanding of the context-dependency of interactions, the mechanisms behind disease and pest avoidance, the links between above- and below-ground systems, and the role of microtopographic variation in coexistence. This improved understanding can guide approaches for improving intercropping systems, including breeding crops for intercropping. Although such advances can help to improve intercropping systems, we suggest that other topics also need addressing. These include better assessment of the wider benefits of intercropping in terms of multiple ecosystem services, collaboration with agricultural engineering, and more effective interdisciplinary research.
间作是一种农业种植方式，涉及两种或更多作物品种或基因型同时生长并共存一段时间。在现代集约化农业的边缘地区，间作在许多自给自足或低投入/资源有限的农业系统中具有重要意义。通过在不增加投入的情况下实现真正的产量增长，或在减少投入的情况下实现更高的产量稳定性，间作可能是实现“可持续集约化”的一条途径。我们讨论了如何将农学、植物生理学和生态学的最新知识与改善间作系统的目标相结合。农学和植物生理学的最新进展包括对作物基因型和品种之间相互作用机制的更好理解，例如通过生态位互补提高资源利用率。生态学的进展包括对相互作用的背景依赖性、病虫害规避背后的机制、地上和地下系统之间的联系以及微地形变化在共存中的作用有了更好的理解。这种更好的理解可以指导改善间作系统的方法，包括培育适合间作的作物。尽管这些进展有助于改善间作系统，但我们认为其他主题也需要解决。这些主题包括更好地评估间作在多种生态系统服务方面的更广泛益处、与农业工程的合作以及更有效的跨学科研究。
