Calculate land equivalent ratio from intercropping and monoculture yields for two crops, with unit conversion to compare land-use efficiency.

Land Equivalent Ratio Calculator

Enter the values to calculate the Land Equivalent Ratio

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Land Equivalent Ratio Formula

The land equivalent ratio, or LER, compares the productivity of an intercropping system with the same crops grown separately as monocultures.

LER = (Y₍AI)) / (Y₍AM)) + (Y₍BI)) / (Y₍BM))
  • LER = land equivalent ratio
  • YAI = yield of Crop A in intercropping
  • YAM = yield of Crop A in monoculture
  • YBI = yield of Crop B in intercropping
  • YBM = yield of Crop B in monoculture

The calculator first converts all entered yields to a common base unit, kg/ha, if you use different units. It then divides each intercrop yield by its matching monoculture yield. These two partial ratios are added together to produce the final LER.

The monoculture yield values cannot be zero because they are used as divisors in the formula.

LER Interpretation and Unit Conversion Tables

LER result Meaning
Less than 1.00 The intercrop uses land less efficiently than monocropping.
Equal to 1.00 The intercrop and monocrop systems are equivalent in land use.
Greater than 1.00 The intercrop uses land more efficiently than monocropping.
Input unit Conversion used to kg/ha
kg/ha Multiply by 1
t/ha Multiply by 1000
bushels/acre Multiply by 27.216
short tons/acre Multiply by 1016.05

Example Land Equivalent Ratio Calculations

Example 1

Suppose Crop A yields 2,000 kg/ha in intercropping and 4,000 kg/ha in monoculture. Crop B yields 1,500 kg/ha in intercropping and 3,000 kg/ha in monoculture.

LER = (2000) / (4000) + (1500) / (3000)
LER = 0.5 + 0.5 = 1.0

The LER is 1.0, so the intercrop and monocrop systems are equivalent in land use for these yields.

Example 2

Suppose Crop A yields 3 t/ha in intercropping and 5 t/ha in monoculture. Crop B yields 2 t/ha in intercropping and 3 t/ha in monoculture.

LER = (3) / (5) + (2) / (3)
LER = 0.6 + 0.6667 = 1.2667

The LER is about 1.27. This means the intercropping system is more land-efficient than growing the two crops separately.

FAQ

What does an LER of 1.25 mean?

An LER of 1.25 means the intercrop produces the same combined yield on 1 hectare that would require 1.25 hectares under separate monocropping. In simple terms, the intercrop shows a 25% land-use advantage.

Do all yield values need to use the same unit?

No. You can enter different units for different yield fields. The calculator converts each input to kg/ha before applying the LER formula. For best accuracy, make sure each yield value is entered with the correct unit selected.

Can LER be used for more than two crops?

Yes. For more than two crops, add one partial ratio for each crop. For example, with three crops, the formula becomes the sum of Crop A intercrop yield divided by Crop A monoculture yield, plus the same ratio for Crop B, plus the same ratio for Crop C.