Summary
This systematic review synthesises findings from 42 peer-reviewed studies to evaluate the multifunctional benefits of legume-grass intercropping systems in Indonesian tropical pastures. Drawing on literature from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, it presents evidence that legume integration substantially improves both forage nutritional quality and soil health parameters compared to conventional grass monocultures. The review highlights the potential of legume cover crops as a practical intervention for addressing soil degradation and low forage productivity constraints common across Indonesia's diverse agroecosystems.
UK applicability
The findings are specific to tropical agroecosystems in Indonesia and are not directly transferable to UK temperate pasture conditions; however, the underlying principles of legume-grass intercropping for improving soil nitrogen cycling and forage protein content are broadly relevant to UK pastoral systems, where species such as white clover and red clover are already used in similar mixed sward approaches.
Key measures
Biomass production (% change); crude protein content (% change); soil physicochemical properties (likely including soil nitrogen, pH, organic matter, and bulk density); forage nutritional quality indicators
Outcomes reported
The review assessed the effects of integrating legume cover crops into grass-based pasture systems on biomass production, forage crude protein content, and soil physicochemical properties. It reports improvements in biomass yield of 30–65% and crude protein content of 40–50% relative to grass monocultures across Indonesian agroecosystems.
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