Decision support system for intercropping
The LEGUMINOSE Decision Support System (DSS) is a web-based tool designed to support informed decision making around legume–cereal intercropping.
It helps users explore and compare intercropping options adapted to local conditions, supporting the transition from monoculture systems towards more resilient and resource-efficient farming practices.
What the tool offers
Explore which legume–cereal intercropping options fit your local context
Compare crop combinations and management approaches side by side
Examine potential outcomes for yield and resource use under different scenarios
Use visual results to support discussion and decision making
The tool is designed to support exploration and learning. It does not prescribe decisions, but provides evidence-based insights to help users assess options and trade-offs.
The tool is ready to use and continues to evolve, integrating new insights from research and user feedback.
How to use the tool
Set up a simulation by selecting a field, crop combinations and management options, such as sowing dates, fertilisation and irrigation, intercropping configuration and planting density. Run the simulation in your web browser. The simulation results are presented in interactive graphs, allowing users to quickly explore differences between scenarios without specialised modelling expertise.
Select a field to explore intercropping options tailored to local conditions.
Set up an intercropping scenario by selecting crop combinations and management options.
Specify advanced parameters such as irrigation type and fertilisation.Specify advanced parameters such as irrigation type and fertilisation.
Compare intercropping with monocrop simulations.
After running a simulation, view key results, including total biomass, grain yield and grain protein concentration.
Directly compare the performance of intercropping and monocropping systems under the same conditions.
Curious to learn more? Find all the details in the DSS manual.
Disclaimer
The core of the DSS tool is the InterCrop model, which simulates the development and growth of intercrop species in response to climate, soil, and management factors. To produce reliable results, the model requires robust parameterisation and evaluation for each specific intercropping system. To date, this process has been completed for faba bean–winter wheat and field pea–spring barley intercrops. Simulation results for other crop combinations are therefore preliminary and have not yet been fully validated. Model development and validation are ongoing as part of the project.
Who the tool is for
Farmers
Considering or experimenting with intercropping
Farming advisors & agronomists
Supporting decision making on farm
Researchers
Interested in scenario analysis and system comparison
Policy makers
Exploring the impacts of sustainable cropping strategies
How to access the tool?
Request full access:
Access requests are reviewed to ensure appropriate use and support.