Effects of cereal-legume cropping systems on soil fertility in extreme weather conditions

Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Spain 2025

Intercropping is often regarded as a promising strategy for improving soil fertility and nutrient availability, particularly under extreme weather conditions. One of the most common intercropping combinations involves cereals and legumes, known for their potential positive effects on soil properties. Therefore, this study examined the short-term impact of intercropping lentil-oat (80% - 20% of the pure stands seeding rate) and field peas with barley (70% - 30% of the pure stands seeding rate) on soil chemical properties in comparison to their respective pure stands. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted at the experimental fields of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia, during 2024, a year characterized by record high temperatures and severe drought. Soil samples were analyzed for total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (AL-P205), and available potassium (AL-K20) at depths of 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm. A randomized complete block design was employed, and soil samples were collected at the end of the growing season. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in soil nutrient concentrations among treatments. Duncan's multiple range test further distinguished the performance of intercropped and pure stand treatments. The results indicated that intercropping influenced soil nutrient distribution, particularly in deeper soil layers. In the lentil-oat trial, oat pure stand had the highest total C content at both depths, whereas intercropping resulted in intermediate values. In the field pea-barley trial, barley pure stand showed higher total C in the topsoil, while field peas retained more C in the subsoil. Total N content was generally higher in lentil-oat intercropping than in pure stands, as well as in field pea-barley intercropping and field peas pure stand compared to barley alone. This effect was especially noticeable in deeper soil layers, suggesting that intercropping helps reduce nitrogen depletion. Ph

cereals; legumes; intercropping; soil fertility; extreme weather; conferenceObject

Open access content. Open access content
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
BY
openAccess

(Abstracts), 2nd Symposium Agrobiodiversity Along the Value Chain, 20-22 May 2025, Lleida, Spain
English

RSPST oai:fiver.ifvcns.rs:123456789/5391
https://fiver.ifvcns.rs/handle/123456789/5391
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_fiver_5391
1525556079

UIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
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