Early assessment of ecological services provided by forage legumes in relay intercropping |
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| Institution: | 1. ISARA-Lyon, université de Lyon, 23 rue Jean Baldassini, 69364 Lyon 07, France;2. VetagroSup, UMR GDEC (Génétique, diversité et écophysiologie des céréales), 89 avenue de l''Europe—BP 35, 63370 Lempdes, France;3. INRA UMR211 Agronomie, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France;4. AgroParisTech UMR211 Agronomie, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France;1. INRA, UMR Eco&Sols, 34060 Montpellier, France;2. SupAgro, UMR Eco&Sols, 34060 Montpellier, France;3. IRD, UMR Eco&Sols, 34060 Montpellier, France;4. CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, 34060 Montpellier, France;5. INRA, UE DiaScope, Domaine de Melgueil, 34130 Mauguio, France;1. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia;2. The Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Gatton/Toowoomba, Queensland 4343/4350, Australia;3. The University of Sydney, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia;1. College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China;2. Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Crop Strip Intercropping System, Chengdu 611130, PR China;3. Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest, Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu 611130, PR China;1. Unité de Recherche “Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés” EDYSAN, UMR 7058 CNRS-UPJV, Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France;2. Applied Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences, Life and Earth Sciences Department, Beirut, Lebanon;1. Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands;2. Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa;3. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, P.O. Box TL 06, Tamale, Ghana;4. CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 52, Tamale, Ghana;5. Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana |
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| Abstract: | In organic agriculture, weeds and nitrogen deficiency are the main factors that limit crop production. The use of relay-intercropped forage legumes may be a way of providing ecological services such as weed control, increasing N availability in the cropping system thanks to N fixation, reducing N leaching and supplying nitrogen to the following crop. However, these ecological services can vary considerably depending on the growing conditions. The aim of this study was to identify early indicators to assess these two ecological services, thereby giving farmers time to adjust the management of both the cover crop and of the following crop.Nine field experiments were conducted over a period of three years. In each experiment, winter wheat was grown as sole crop or intercropped with one of two species of forage legumes; Trifolium repens L. or Trifolium pratense L. Two levels of fertilization were also tested (0 and 100 kg N ha?1). After the intercropping stage, the cover crop was maintained until the end of winter and then destroyed by plowing before maize was sown. Legume and weed biomass, nitrogen content and accumulation were monitored from legume sowing to cover destruction.Our results showed that a minimum threshold of about 2 t ha?1 biomass in the aboveground parts of the cover crop was needed to decrease weed infestation by 90% in early September and to ensure weed control up to December. The increase in nitrogen in the following maize crop was also correlated with the legume biomass in early September. The gain in nitrogen in maize (the following crop) was correlated with legume biomass in early September, with a minimum gain of 60 kg N ha?1 as soon as legume biomass reached more than 2 t ha?1.Legume biomass in early September thus appears to be a good indicator to predict weed control in December as well as the nitrogen released to the following crop. The indicator can be used by farmers as a management tool for both the cover crop and following cash crop. Early estimation of available nitrogen after the destruction of the forage legume can be used to adjust the supply of nitrogen fertilizer to the following crop. |
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| Keywords: | Early assessment Relay-intercropping Forage legume Clover Weed control Nitrogen release |
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