Intercropping Perennial Fruit Trees and Annual Field Crops with Aromatic and Medicinal Plants (MAPs) in the Mediterranean Basin

Ilaria Marotti (), Anne Whittaker, Reyhan Bahtiyarca Bağdat, Pervin Ari Akin, Namuk Ergün and Giovanni Dinelli
Additional contact information
Ilaria Marotti: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Anne Whittaker: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Reyhan Bahtiyarca Bağdat: Field Crops Central Research Institute, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ankara 06170, Türkiye
Pervin Ari Akin: Field Crops Central Research Institute, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ankara 06170, Türkiye
Namuk Ergün: Field Crops Central Research Institute, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ankara 06170, Türkiye
Giovanni Dinelli: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-23

Abstract: The Mediterranean basin (MB), a “climate hotspot”, is experiencing faster than average increases in global temperature and water deficit, as well as soil degradation, with detrimental impacts on food crop yield and pest/pathogen incidence. Hence, there is an urgent requisite for sustainable crop diversification strategies to promote crop resilience, soil quality conservation and pest/pathogen control. Intercropping is a strategy that has yet to be widely adopted. Presently, cereal–legume combinations represent the most common intercrops. Of relevance, a large number of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), native to the MB, serve as potentially profitable indigenous resources for intercropping with food crops. Environmentally sustainable benefits of MB MAP intercropping with food crops have ironically been reported largely from research outside the MB. The present study aims to review the published literature from 2003 to 2023 on MAP intercropping with perennial nut/fruit crops and annual field crops in the MB. Published research is scarce but shows a promising upward trend, with 70% and 47% of intercropping studies with perennials and annual field crops, respectively, dated between 2020 and 2023. MAP intercropping shows potential in augmenting yield, pest/pathogen and weed control, soil health and cash crop quality, warranting further research with more widespread adoption in the MB.

Keywords: Mediterranean basin; medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs); intercropping; perennial fruit trees; field crops (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/12054/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/12054/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:12054-:d:1211901

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().