Heike Knörzer

Designing, Modeling and Evaluation of Intercropping Systems in China: Improving Cropping Strategies on the Basis of Multi-level Interactions Heike Knörzer

Adjusting cropping systems in order to increase their efficiency is a global issue. High yield and sustainability are the catchphrases of production in the 21st century, and agricultural production has to solve the balancing act between ecology and economy. Solutions have to be detected spatially explicit and locally adapted and accepted in order to be implemented successfully. Taking the North China Plain as an example, the productivity of arable land needs to be further increased by applying strategies to reduce or avoid negative environmental effects. Yield increases might be possible by developing improved cropping strategies operated by cropping designs. Taking modeling and simulation tools into account back up the acceleration of research attainments and the understanding of cropping systems. The present thesis embraces the designing and modeling of such a potential cropping system, to wit strip intercropping. Thus, the main goals of the study were to analyze, design, evaluate, and in the end model intercropping.