| Interspecific competition between different plant species influences individual growth and performance of those species. Those neighborhood effects become especially important in intercropping systems. As there are multiple possibilities for intercropping designs and patterns, it is very time consuming and expensive to investigate appropriate designs and patterns in field trials. Modeling approaches could be a useful tool to simulate plant growth and behavior under different environmental conditions and circumstances in order to advise appropriate, adjusted and hence improved cropping strategies. There are a couple of modeling approaches taking competition between different species into account. Competition between species has been simulated in most cases for agroforestry or weeds. However, up to now, only few attempts have been made to apply those models. The aim of this study was to gain an overview over a range of 20 different competition models, and the modeling approach to simulate interspecific competition. Case studies are discussed in which those models have been successfully validated and implemented. An overview is given over the diverse models dealing with intercropping and interspecific competition. |
