Supply Chain Perspectives on Breeding for Legume-Cereal Intercrops

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Sustainable Agriculture

Background:

• Intercropping, particularly legumes and cereals, offers improved yield and ecosystem services compared to sole cropping.
• Current crop cultivars are primarily bred for sole cropping and may not perform optimally in intercropping systems.
• Intercropping introduces complexities across the supply chain, necessitating adapted crop genotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify breeding targets for intercrop-adapted genotypes from a supply chain perspective.
• To analyze desirable traits for legume-cereal intercropping systems for human consumption.
• To bridge the gap between traditional breeding and the needs of intercropping supply chains.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of three case studies involving intercropped legumes and cereals for human consumption.
• Identification of traits important to various supply chain actors.
• Evaluation of traditional breeding limitations for intercropping.

Main Results:

• Beneficial intercrop effects depend on end use and specific species/genotypes.
• Key traits for intercropping include specific seed attributes, synchronized maturity, and species synergies.
• Many desirable intercrop traits are not addressed by conventional sole-crop breeding programs.

Conclusions:

• Successful widespread adoption of intercropping requires collaboration among all supply chain actors.
• Breeding approaches must account for intercropping supply chain complexity.
• Diversification strategies from field to fork are essential for integrating intercrops.