Intercropping Systems in Wheat (Triticum sativum L.) for Insect Pests and Disease Management - A Review

Cereal crop wheat, Triticum sativum L., is an important food and feed crop that is grown all over the world. There is a complementary relationship between legumes and cereals for nitrogen resources, it was found that intercropped legumes acquire a higher amount of atmospheric nitrogen in comparison to legumes grown as an individual crop. Furthermore, both wheat and pulse intercropping give benefits in terms of minimizing pests and diseases. Intercropping not only restricts onset of pest species but also crop combinations conserves beneficial insects that can preserve the damaging pest population below the threshold level. In the current study, numerous instances were provided that show successful control of various insect pests when wheat was intercropped with mustard, Linseed, barley, mung bean, canola, and other crops. Wheat intercropping with other crops can be used as part of an integrated pest management strategy to reduce pest incidence while also increasing the number of beneficial organisms.