A survey was carried out within five European countries with regard to the practice of

cereal grain legume intercropping. The mostly given combination was spring barleyspring

pea beside 27 other combinations between pulses and cereals. 72 % of all

examples consisted of spring varieties, the rest of winter varieties, mainly a special

case of the French South West with mild winter climate. Intercrops were mainly used

for feeding purposes. Best experiences were named as better yield stability, effective

weed suppression, and good quality of feed. Of the negative experiences complicated

mechanical weed regulation, unequal maturation and additional costs for separation

were mostly named. The interviewed farmers showed predominantly positive

prospects for the development of intercropping on their farms, problems with sowing

techniques were only of minor importance.