How maize-legume intercropping and rotation contribute to food security and environmental sustainability

A revolution of cropping systems offers a promising opportunity to address complex and interconnected challenges to food security and environmental protection. Intercropping and crop rotation especially of legumes and maize are prominent candidates due to their wide applicability and advantages, given their differences in crop photosynthetic pathways. Scientific research on transition towards sustainable cropping systems continues to grow rapidly and there is an urgent need to systematize its knowledge map. Based on 6574 articles published from 1990 to 2022, we use bibliometric indicators such as publication trends, authorship patterns, and citation analyses to explore the research hotspots, frontiers and trends of maize-legume intercropping and crop rotation. The unbalanced research and practice patterns worldwide, different emphases between economic and environmental objectives of two cropping systems are analyzed. Finally, the potential and perspectives of the combination of intercropping and crop rotation to address challenges to food security and environmental sustainability are discussed.