Intercropping with Legumes

In countries of the temperate region, monoculture is a common practice. In India, however, intercropping has been in vogue for a very long time. Most of the work reviewed here pertains to India. In selecting a companion crop care should be taken to see that the two crops do not compete with each other for nutrients, light, water etc. Experimental data also show that legumes grown in association with non-legumes help in increasing the yield of the non-legume without its yield being affected adversely Intercropping shows promise for our country. However, much remains to be done regarding choice of suitable intercrops, their fertilizer and water requirements and plant protection measures besides economics of Crop production. There is a need to monitor changes in the soil with respect to nitrogen transformations by growing legumes as intercrops or in rotation.