Requirements for successful Inter-cropping:

o The timing of peak nutrient demands of component crops should not overlap.

o Competition for light should be minimum among the component crops.

o The difference in maturity of component crops should be at least 30 days.

Types of Intercropping: Combinations of various crops can vary in terms of spatial or temporal arrangement. On the basis of these variations, following types of intercropping have been identified.

1. Row intercropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously where one or more crops are planted in rows. It is a variation in space dimension. For example, maize + greengram (1:1), maize + blackgram (1:1), groundnut + redgram (6:1)

♤ Variations include alley cropping, where crops are grown in between rows of trees, and strip cropping, where multiple rows, or a strip, of one crop are alternated with multiple rows of another crop.

2. Strip-intercropping: Two or more crops are planted in the same field in alternate strips.

♤ Strips are wide enough to permit independent cultivation but narrow enough for the crops to interact. Ex. groundnut + redgram (6:4) strip.