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| − | {{Article summary|A polyculture is a combination of plants which are grown together to leverage their [[plant | + | {{Article summary|A polyculture is a combination of plants which are grown together to leverage their [[plant association|beneficial associations]]. It is a form of [[intercropping]].}} |
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Revision as of 15:17, 29 May 2012
Polycultures in history
Polycultures precede modern agriculture, and were much used throughout history to maximise crop yield on plots of land small enough to be managed without modern machinery. In Italy there is evidence that the practice of intercropping grape vines and Acer campestre (Field Maple) dates back to the late medieval period[1]. The Native Americans were known to grow a polyculture of beans, corn, and vine squash known as The Three Sisters: the corn providing structure for the beans to grow up while offering partial shade, the beans fixing the soil with nitrogen, and the vine squashes forming a dense ground cover[Reference needed!]
References
- ? Zachary Nowak Looking Back to the Future: Historical Polycultures in Central Italy Agroforestry News Vol 19 No 4 (2011/08/01)