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I would think that inter-cropping would be more possible with GPS and robotics. I heard it cuts down on pests (confuses the bastards, and also attracts predato

• bluGill 3y ago
  intercropping is done, but there are significant downsides. Farmers do it once in a while, but this is an area that is still very experimental and so any intelligent farmer (most are not stupid!) will try it in a small field for a few years, or watch someone else try it. Tall plants shade the shorter ones, so you lose yield for the shorter plants, and this may or may not be made up by the taller ones (which have to put more energy into supporting that height). Intercropping means pests can live and thrive in your crops. Farmers will sometimes plant one crop 3 years in a row because that means the pests don't have anything to live on and in turn they die off. Intercropping means there is always a host species for the pest to live off of and so they in turn thrive. I think there are other downsides as well that I can't remember. There may also be unknown downsides - since this is not common there may be downsides were are not aware of. This is why we need scientific research and small trails before rolling out something new in mass - it may be worse than what we have.
  • bluGill 3y ago
    By planting for 3 years in a row, pests that target something else in your rotation will die off. Of course the trade off is pests that target the crop you are planting 3 years in a row will have more opportunity to grow.