Background and aims Legume-brassica intercrops may help to reduce N fertilizer input. We tested whether (i) intercropping with faba bean can improve N status of rapeseed, and (ii) root ...complementarity and/or N transfer is involved in such performance. Methods Pre-germinated rapeseed and faba bean were grown either together or in monospecific rhizotrons (2 plants per rhizotron). Root growth was recorded. N rhizodeposition of the crops and Í transferred between species were assessed using a ¹⁵N stemlabelling method. Results Intercropped rapeseeds accumulated 20 % higher amounts of N per plant than monocultures. Up to 32 days after sowing, root distribution in the rhizotrons was favourable to physical sharing of the soil N:64 % of faba bean root length was located in the upper part, as 70 % was in the lower part for rapeseed. At late flowering of the faba bean (52 days after sowing), N rhizodeposition of the two crops were similar and reached 8 to 9 % of the plant N. N transferred from the faba bean to the rapeseed was similar to that transferred from the rapeseed to the faba bean. Conclusions Niche complementarity benefits more intercropped rapeseed than net N fluxes between species in the early growth.
A field experiment was conducted to study effect of various land configurations on soil moisture conservation and productivity of pigeonpea at experimental farm of AICRP for dry land Agriculture, ...V.N.M.K.V., Parbhani during kharif season of
2015 and 2016. Soil of experimental field was medium deep black with low in organic carbon, low in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and high in available potassium.The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three main
plot treatments and four sub plot treatments. The gross and net plot sizes are 7.2x5.4m2 and 5.4x3.6m2 respectively. The pigeonpea variety BDN-711 was used for sowing with spacing 90 x 20 cm. The main plot treatments were three land configurations as
(L1) broad bed furrow (BBF), (L2) ridges and furrow and (L3) flat bed method. Sub plot treatments were four intercropping systems i.e. (I1) pigeonpea + soybean (2:1), (I2) pigeonpea + green gram (2:1), (I3) pigeonpea + black gram (2:1) and (I4)
pigeonpea + cowpea (2:1). It was observed that seed yield of pigeon pea andpigeonpea equivalent yield were significantly affected due to different land configuration and intercropping systems. The highest pigeonpea seed yield (1588 kg ha-1) and
pigeonpea equivalent yield (1823 kg ha-1) were obtained with Broad bed furrows (L1) followed by ridges and furrow (L2). Among the intercropping systems, pigeonpea + greengram intercropping system (I2) recorded higher seed yield (1574 kg ha-1) and
pigeonpea equivalent yield(1832 kg ha-1).Periodical soil moisture observations in different land configuration considering depth of soil, higher average soil moisture was recorded under broad bed furrow followed by ridges and furrows while lesser was
recorded under flat bed sowing.
Agroforestry benefits farmers, making it a sustainable alternative to monoculture. To create a viable Eucalyptus clone-based agroforestry system, a field experiment was carried out in Tamil Nadu, ...India. The economics and changes in the soil qualities were evaluated by growing agricultural and horticultural crops, namely pearl millet, sorghum, maize, sesame, small onions, green gram, and red gram, as intercrops under eight-month-old eucalyptus clone trees using a randomised block design in three replications at a spacing of 3 m × 1.5 m. The plots for the intercrops and the eucalyptus clones were kept apart for comparison. Maize showed the greatest drop in plant height during all the phases, including 30 DAS, 60 DAS, and harvest, while small onions showed the least reduction in plant height. Sesame and small onions showed the greatest drop in dry matter production, whereas sorghum showed the least. In terms of the intercrop yield reduction, maize had the biggest reduction and green gram had the lowest. Red gram had the largest crop equivalent yield, whereas maize had the lowest. The volume of the trees was generally increased more favourably by red gram than by green gram. The intercrops had some effects on the nutrients in the soil. Red gram intercropping had the highest levels of EC, soil organic carbon, available soil nitrogen, available soil phosphorus, and available soil potassium, while the sole tree treatment had the lowest levels. Small onions, red gram, and sesame were the crops; tree + small onion, tree + red gram, and tree + sesame were the intercrop combinations with the highest gross income, net income, and B:C in the intercropping treatment alone. Tree + green gram had the highest land equivalent ratio (LER) and the red gram, sesame, and small onion intercrops were shown to be the most profitable. Although the present study supports a complementary relationship, the lack of awareness among farmers of Eucalyptus allelopathy formed the major limitation.
To highlight the contribution of belowground interactions to biomass and N and P yields, field bean and triticale were grown in a P-poor soil as sole crops and as replacement intercrops at two N ...levels. The shoots were always in contact, while the roots of adjacent rows were free to interact or were completely separated. This allowed simultaneous testing the intraspecific and interspecific competition between rows, which to our knowledge has not been studied before. Root biomass, distribution in soil, morphometry, and functional traits were determined, together with the nodule number and biomass. The Land Equivalent Ratio for shoot biomass and N and P yield were higher than 1 when roots were in contact, and markedly lower when they were separated. This demonstrates the positive contribution of root interactions, which in field bean, consisted of increased root elongation without changes in biomass and nutrient status; in triticale, of increased N and P uptake efficiency and reduced biomass partitioning to roots. The soil-plant processes underlying intercrop advantage led to complementarity in N sources with low N inputs and facilitated N and P uptake with high N inputs, which demonstrates that intercropping could be profitable in both low and high input agriculture.
Intercropping legumes with non-legume crops during the rainy season (wet season) is a common practice in the semi-arid tropics of India. Of late, the concept of intercropping has also been utilized ...in irrigated (dry season) situations. In a 2-year field study during the dry season (February–May), we assessed yield, competition and economics in a groundnut/cereal fodder intercropping system compared with monocropped groundnut. Maize (
Zea mays L.), sorghum (
Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and pearl millet (
Pennisetum glaucum L.) were grown for fodder. One cutting for all and two cuttings (first at 50 days after sowing and second at 95 days after sowing) for sorghum and pearl millet were made. In intercrops one row of cereal fodder was sown between every three rows of groundnut (1:3). The green fodder yields and pod yield of groundnut were lower in intercropped than in monoculture plots. The highest green fodder yield in intercrops was recorded in pearl millet with two cuts (16.5
t
ha
−1) followed by pearl millet with one cut (11.8
t
ha
−1) and sorghum with two cuts (10.7
t
ha
−1). In intercrops the growth and yield of groundnut were affected by cereal fodder and intensity of cutting. A significant (
∗
P<0.05) reduction in leaf area index (LAI) and crop growth rate (CGR) was observed in the groundnut–pearl millet system over sole groundnut. Decrease in nodule mass at pod filling stages in groundnut ranged from 3.5 to 11.0% when intercropped with cereal fodders compared to sole groundnut crop. Groundnut yield was reduced more due to pearl millet and sorghum with two cuts. However, maize as the associated crop produced 9.0
t
green
fodder
ha
−1 and affected the groundnut less with respect to pod yield (5.76% reduction), yield attributes, CGR, LAI and nodule dry mass. Of the two cutting situations under intercropping, one cut gave 9.9% higher yield of groundnut as compared to two cuts. A higher land equivalent ratio (LER) and relative crowding coefficient (RCC) value leads to a crop yield advantage. Accordingly, yield advantage was greater in case of the groundnut/maize association. The competition ratio (CR) is a better indication of performance than RCC. The CRs of pearl millet and sorghum with two cuts were greater than maize but the corresponding CRs of groundnut were less. Thus, pearl millet and sorghum were more competitive, and groundnut under these two crops was affected more. The maximum monetary advantage was also recorded for the groundnut/maize intercropping system.
Mixed cropping is practised widely in developing countries and is gaining increasing interest for sustainable agriculture in developed countries. Plants in intercrops grow differently from plants in ...single crops, due to interspecific plant interactions, but adaptive plant morphological responses to competition in mixed stands have not been studied in detail. Here the maize (Zea mays) response to mixed cultivation with wheat (Triticum aestivum) is described. Evidence is provided that early responses of maize to the modified light environment in mixed stands propagate throughout maize development, resulting in different phenotypes compared with pure stands. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), red:far-red ratio (R:FR), leaf development, and final organ sizes of maize grown in three cultivation systems were compared: pure maize, an intercrop with a small distance (25cm) between maize and wheat plants, and an intercop with a large distance (44cm) between the maize and the wheat. Compared with maize in pure stands, maize in the mixed stands had lower leaf and collar appearance rates, increased blade and sheath lengths at low ranks and smaller sizes at high ranks, increased blade elongation duration, and decreased R:FR and PAR at the plant base during early development. Effects were strongest in the treatment with a short distance between wheat and maize strips. The data suggest a feedback between leaf initiation and leaf emergence at the plant level and coordination between blade and sheath growth at the phytomer level. A conceptual model, based on coordination rules, is proposed to explain the development of the maize plant in pure and mixed stands.
Forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is well established in the Texas High Plains as a drought-tolerant forage that often requires additional feed to provide adequate protein for livestock. ...Intercropping sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), a legume, with forage sorghum, may increase crude protein. However, the optimal intercrop seeding ratio of sunnhemp to sorghum to improve crude protein content and maintain sufficient biomass is unknown. A two-year field experiment was conducted near Canyon, TX, USA, in 2020 and 2021 using sunnhemp intercropped at three seeding rates (16.8, 33.6, and 50.4 kg ha−1) with forage sorghum at four seeding rates (0, 2.8, 5.6, and 11.2 kg ha−1) under drip irrigation. This study was conducted to (1) evaluate growth potential for sunnhemp in a semiarid environment, (2) find a seeding ratio that can maintain forage sorghum dry matter production and improve forage quality, and (3) determine if a midseason harvest can be supported and further improve quality of the forage produced. Midseason, full-season, regrowth biomass, and forage quality were evaluated. Results indicated that a sunnhemp–forage-sorghum intercrop produced dry matter comparable to forage sorghum when sufficient heat units were obtained in the growing season. Forage with higher nutritive value was produced when the intercrop was harvested twice.
•Jatropha plantation with inter cropping is economically viable system in sodic soil.•Plant spacing (3×3m) was standardized with Jatropha based intercropping model.•Ocimum and Matricaria based inter ...cropping system were highly remunerative.•Soil amelioration was greatest with Ocimum and Matricaria inter crops.•Soil microbial activity enhanced substantially with inter cropping system.
This paper evaluates an intercropping model with Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) as an alternative crop on degraded sodic land in north India. Monoculture of JCL has not proven economically viable in India in view of its poor yield; therefore, intercrops in between JCL plantations were tried to optimize land use efficiency. The results revealed that the planting of JCL at 3×3m spacing with inter-cultivation of sweet basil–matricaria (SB-M) cropping system for four years was more economically viable than planting at 3×2m spacing and the other rotations tested in the study. Improvements in soil properties in terms of soil pH, EC and organic carbon were found with the SB-M cropping system with JCL as the main crop. Maximum soil microbial biomass carbon was recorded with the SB-M cropping system followed by sorghum-wheat (S-W) and maize-linseed (M-L), and the lowest values were found in the control plot where no intercrop was planted in between JCL plants. This study shows that intercropping with JCL on sodic soils stimulated the soil microbial population, which in turn led to high biological activity in the rhizosphere soil. Growing of medicinal and aromatic crops as intercrops between JCL plantations for four years appears to be a more suitable land use system than JCL mono-cropping to obtain maximum income. Simultaneously a soil improvement due to intercropping provides a new opportunity for even more competitive land use systems in the future.
Beneficial effects of bio-inoculants on growth and yield of plants grown in sunlight have been reported world over but information on their effect under shade is meagre. Therefore, to assess the ...effect of shade on bio-inoculants, viz. rhizobial (RB) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which are associated with intercrops in agroforestry systems, a study was carried out on important rainy (
Glycine max
,
Phaseolus mungo
, and
Vigna radiata
) and winter season pulses (
Cicer arietinum
,
Lens culinaris
, and
Pisum sativum
) under 25% (shade) and 100% (no shade) full sun light. The results showed that plant height was higher under the shade in
G. max
,
P. mungo
,
L. culinaris
, and
P. sativum,
and lower in
V. radiata
and
C. arietinum
. Dry weight and yield plant
−1
were lower under the shade than the corresponding values in the open for all pulses. In general, bio-inoculants increased plant height, dry weight, and yield plant
−1
in all pulses, barring a few exceptions. The efficiencies of bio-inoculants in terms of percent increase of yield over respective control were more or less comparable under shade and no shade for most pulses. The shade reduced rhizobial nodulation and AMF colonization in all crops with a few exceptions. Application of bio-inoculants increased the nodulation and the colonization in most of the treatments. Maximum yield plant
−1
was recorded in dual and/or triple inoculations under both shade and no shade suggesting that the bio-inoculants used in our study worked synergistically with each other. Thus, the studied bio-inoculants were effective in the open as well as in the shade and can be utilized to overcome the adverse effect of shade to some extent in agroforestry systems.
Root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is a serious threat in cotton. Field experiments were conducted to study the influences of intercropping system in cotton with inorganic fertilizer and two ...bioinoculants (Azospirillum and Pseudomonas) on root rot incidence and yield of cotton. The results revealed that among the intercropping systems, cotton intercropping with Sesbania aculeata (1 : 1 ratio) recorded the highest rhizosphere colonization of Pseudomonas fluorescens in the year 2007 and 2008 and the lowest root rot incidence of 1.40, 2.49 and 3.90; 1.02, 2.22 and 5.98% at the vegetative, flowering and maturity stages in the year 2007 and 2008, respectively. From nutrient management practices, integration of Azospirillum and Pseudomonas with 50% recommended dose of NPK recorded the highest rhizosphere colonization of P. fluorescens in both years and the lowest root rot incidence of 1.40, 2.32 and 3.36; 1.07, 2.01 and 5.25% at vegetative, flowering and maturity stages in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Cotton + S. aculeata recorded the maximum number of sympodial branches (23.5 and 20.62/plant in 2007 and 2008, respectively) and the highest seed cotton yield of 2010 and 1894 kg/ha. The highest cotton equivalent yield (CEY) of 2052 and 1895 kg/ha was recorded in cotton + onion system, which was closely followed by cotton + S. aculeata system that had the CEY of 2010 and 1894 kg/ha in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The increased CEY is due to increased cost of onion compared with S. aculeata. Combined application of 100% recommended dose of NPK and bioinoculants recorded the seed cotton yield of 2227 and 1983 kg/ha and CEY of 2460 and 2190 kg/ha in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The lowest root rot incidence and increased yield in cotton + S. aculeata combined with 50% NPK and bioinoculants could be due to synergistic effect among the bioinoculants and S. aculeata.
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