Advantages of intercropping

♤ It leads to better use of growth resources including light, nutrients and water.

♤ Intercropping of compatible plants also encourages biodiversity by providing a habitat for a variety of insects and soil organisms that would not be present in a single-crop environment. This in turn can help limit outbreaks of crop pests by increasing predator biodiversity.

♤ Along with suppression of weeds it causes yield stability - even if one crop fails due to unforeseen situations, another crop will yield and gives income.

♤ Successful intercropping gives higher equivalent yields (yield of base crop + yield of intercrop), higher cropping intensity.

♤ It reduces pest and disease incidences and improves soil health and agro-ecological system.

♤ Reducing the homogeneity of the crop increases the barriers against biological dispersal of pest organisms through the crop.

Mixed Cropping vs Intercropping
Mixed Cropping	Intercropping
Aimed to minimize the risk of crop failure	Aimed to increase productivity from unit area
Seeds of different crops are mixed together before sowing	Seeds are not mixed
All the crops are sown at the same time.	Crops can be sown at the same or different time.
Crop sowing is random.	Different crops are grouped in different rows or columns.
Pest control is relatively difficult.	Pest control is relatively easier.
Equal emphasis is given to all the crops.	More emphasis is given to main crops.
Same fertilizer and pesticide is applied to all crops.	Specific fertilizer and pesticide is applied to each crops.