Companion Crops

1. Can Companion Planting Sustainably
Improve Soil Health and
Pest Management?
VCGarcia
MSCP

2. Companion Planting
What is Companion Crops
● Within the scientific world, it is also known as intercropping
● In horticulture and agriculture, is a crop plant that is grown
alongside another crop plant species.
● Refers to the practice of planting several types of plants
together for mutual benefits
History of Companion Crops
● More than 1,000 years ago, China and Egypt
● Centuries ago, in North America (Three Sisters Method)

3. Statement of the Problem
Can Companion planting
synergistically improve soil health
and pest management and
consequently improve the yield per
unit area of an ecologically
balanced farm environments?
Can compliment with each other in
terms of:
• Differences in Soil nutrient
requirements
• Abilities to host different soil
microbial fauna
• Differences in biomass and
elemental contents
• Differences in rooting architectures
• Reactions and ability to ward off
pest and diseases

4. Soil Protection
Soil conservation
1. Prevent run-off and
soil loss
2. Minimize the impact
for soil erosion
3. Avoid pore blockage
4. Delay the flow of
running water
5. Minimize nutrient
leaking – act as
catch crop
 Oats (Avena saliva)
are frequently grown
alongside alfalfa
(Medicago saliva) • Raindrops are
intercepted by the
canopy, which reduces
seal formation and soil
detachment.
• It may also have an
effect on infiltration by
concentrating water
around plant stems.

5. Improved Soil Chemical Characteristics
Soil Sickness
1. Reduction in soil
microbial diversity
2. Deterioration of the soil
chemical properties
3. Plants have the ability to
affect the chemistry,
and structure of the soil.
4. Modifies soil microbial
populations
5. Positive feedback
between plants and soil
improves agricultural
output
 Companion cropping
with wheat variety
Dongnong 125 promote
watermelon growth,
and wheat root
exudates have a strong
positive effect on the
growth of watermelon
roots
 Another study, Wheat can
alter the soil microbial
community, which increases
cucumber productivity

6. Nutrient Transfer (Nitrogen)
 Due to their ability to fix
nitrogen, legumes are
thought to play a role in
all ecological facilitation
processes
 Legumes are cultivated
worldwide for the
production of protein-
rich seeds and for the
harvest of the entire
plant
 Decomposition
 Root exudation
 Mycorrhizae
 N2 fixation by legumes is
greater in combinations with
non-fixing plants than in
monocultures, regardless of
management or location
 Experiments with mixes of
annual crops (such as pea-
barley intercropping) have
demonstrated that this
impact is more pronounced
in low-input systems than in
others and results in more
stable yields in challenging
settings

7. Pest Management Strategy
Intercropping culture that
deters pests and/or pathogens
through the chemicals it emits
Repellent Plants
grown within or adjacent to a
primary crop for the aim of
disease control and/or pest
and/or pathogen interception
Barrier Plants
type or variety of plant that
enables early detection of
pests, resulting in increased
crop management efficiency
Indicator Plants
cultivated in plant stands that
are deployed autonomously to
attract or keep targeted
insects in order to minimize
harm to the main crop
Trap Plants
flowering plant that attracts
and possibly sustains a
population of natural enemies
Insectary Plants
is a planned addition to or
establishment in a crop for
pest management in a
greenhouse or open field
Banker Plants

8. Companion Planting FACTORS
Pest Mgt Strategy 56 %
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Soil Protection
Improving Soil Chemistry
Nutrient Transfer
Pest Mgt Strategy
Nutrient Transfer 21 %
Improving Soil Chemistry 14 %
Soil Protection 9 %

9. Can Companion Planting Sustainably Improve Soil Health and
Pest Management?
● This techniques benefits soil health by increasing nitrogen fixation,
conserving soil moisture and lowering soil temperatures.
● Additionally, companion plants minimize soil erosion, so safeguarding
delicate soils.
● Legumes fix atmospheric Nitrogen, which can be used by host plant
or adjacent plants.
● Plant variety modifies soil microbial populations, and this positive
feedback between plants and soil improves agricultural output.
● Companion planting in intercropping with target crops is a non-
chemical approach of enhancing pest management.

10. THANKS!