Intercropping drives plant phenotypic plasticity and changes in functional trait space

The relevance of intercropping, where two or more crop species are simultaneously grown on the same land space, is growing due to its potential for improving resource use and maintaining stable yields under variable weather conditions. However, actual growth intercropped may differ resulting from idiosyncratic effect diversity, with this, realized benefits intercrops found depend critically cultivar, species, management environmental This study aimed apply a trait-based approach, in which ecological niche spaces defined through n-dimensional hypervolumes, identify contribution species/cultivar, cultivation design (sole intercrop) (low high fertilization) trait diversity four pea-barley faba bean-wheat, when as sole crops intercrops. Four traits were used axes space analysis: canopy height, shoot biomass, tiller/node number, grain yield. We that differed cultivars, whether they crops. Trait between low fertilization only cereals productive site (i.e. Denmark). Species had larger volumes than crops, result plasticity. response intercropping was apparent almost all Sweden Denmark, except wheat Denmark. demonstrated individual responded compared cropping plasticity traits, influenced shape hypervolumes divide up species. findings important illustrating plastic responses arable relevant understanding productivity