Effects of Intercropping and Fertilizer Types on DM Yield and Medicinal Metabolites of Chicory and Fenugreek

Abstract

Intercropping of medicinal plant can increase the diversity of farming systems. It also protects the environment, water, soil and plays an important role in healthy agricultural production and human consumption. In order to investigate the effect of intercropping and fertilizer types on dry matter (DM) yield and medicinal metabolites of chicory and fenugreek, a factorial experimentwas carried out based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in an experimental farm located at Behbahan, Khuzestan province, Iran, during 2019-2020. The first factor was different fertilizer sources (Chemical, Organic and Integrated (in three levels; chemical fertilizer )urea+triple super phosphate),Vermicompost, and integrated fertilizer (50% chemical fertilizer+nitroxinbiofertilizer+fertile phosphate 2); while, the second factor was five levels of intercropping patterns, including: sole chicory (SC), sole fenugreek (ST), one row of chicory plus one row of fenugreek (C1T1), one row of chicory plus two rows of fenugreek (C1T2) and two rows of chicory plus one row of fenugreek (C2T1). The highest root dry weight (487 Kgh-1), inulin content (1%) and inulin yield (4.87 Kgh-1) of chicory root was obtained in the sole cultivation of chicory coupled with integrated fertilizer. The highest trigonelline content (0.48%) of fenugreek was obtained in C2T1 pattern coupled with chemical fertilizer application; while, the highest trigonelline yield (13.14 Kgh-1) were obtained in sole cultivation of this plant. Considering the total DM yield of the two plants, the extent of medicinal actives in both plants and land equality ratio (LER) higher than one, intercropping patterns of C1T2, C1T1 treated with combined fertilizer andvermicompost were more beneficial than the sole cropping.