This practice in spatial or temporal rotation with sole crops, allows a rise in species richness at system scale and, in many cases, without increasing abundance of weeds competing with the crop or herbivores affecting crop yields. In addition, our results highlight that the main effect of intercropping on biodiversity is related to an increment of both planned and associated biodiversity, sustaining different weed and insect assemblages when compared with sole crops, as well as in cropping systems exclusively relying on chemical control practices to protect crops from biotic adversities. We conclude that intercropping sunflower and soybean is a feasible alternative for increasing land productivity in intensive farming systems, and hence farm income, in a more sustainable way than growing monoculture.
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