Sustainable diversification in Indian agriculture: Effectiveness of integrating horticultural crops as intercrops in mono-cropping coconut system

Coconut, also known as Kalpaviruksha, is a gift from nature that is grown all over the world for its many uses. The distinctive characteristics of the coconut tree indicate that mono-cropping coconut results in extremely low land use efficiency. Another drawback of mono-cropping from an economic standpoint is the substantial initial investment required to develop the crop until it reaches bearing age, which may be beyond the means of smallholders. In most coconut-growing countries, planting coconut alongside a range of other crops is a popular practice to maximise land use efficiency. It has been determined that over 100 distinct crop and system combinations can be cultivated as intercrops alongside coconut plantations. Intercropping is more efficient than mono-cropping and increases yield, if the components of the intercrop utilize natural resources in ways that complement each other's utilization of those resources, which generates a higher benefit-cost ratio than the sole crop. The relevance and possibilities of multiple-cropping and intercropping systems suitable for different coconut stands are covered in this article. The results provide an overview of coconut farming's lucrative and sustainable intercrop species that support the income of farmers, as well as the advantages, drawbacks and prospects of several multiple-cropping systems. The paper concludes by outlining potential research avenues for the effective adaptation of different cropping systems based on coconut.