Abstract
Medicinal-agroforestry systems are one of the multi-functional medicinal plant production systems, gaining attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional monoculture systems. In this study, three planting patterns were established which included: (1) monoculture F. carica (MF); (2) monoculture T. cuspidata (MT); and (3) interplanting F. carica with T. cuspidata (IFT). The differences of growth biomass, photosynthesis, soil nutrients, soil enzyme activities, soil microorganisms, and main secondary metabolites of F. carica and T. cuspidata under the above three models were investigated. Compared with the MF and MT patterns, IFT pattern for 5 months significantly increased the plant growth biomass, photosynthesis, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and secondary metabolites content. The activities of acid phosphatase, sucrase, protease, polyphenol oxidase, urease, dehydrogenase, and catalase in soil of IFT were significantly higher than MF and MT patterns. Results showed that IFT pattern is preferred compared to the MF and MT patterns. Our result will help to provide a feasible theoretical basis for the large-scale establishment of F. carica and T. cuspidata mixed forests and obtain high-quality medicine sources for extracting important active ingredients, psoralen and paclitaxel, which are crucial to the long-term sustainable development and production of medicinal plants.
Highlights
Ficus carica L. is a species of Ficus plant in the Moraceae family
In terms of the total volume of F. carica new branch, the IFT pattern was better than monoculture F. carica (MF)
In terms of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) content, the IFT pattern was better than MF and monoculture T. cuspidata (MT)
Summary
Ficus carica L. is a species of Ficus plant in the Moraceae family. It is a perennial deciduous shrub with rapid growth and broad leaves [1,2]. F. carica is a robust and highly productive traditional medicinal plant that can adapt well to weather changes. The most important secondary metabolite in F. carica is psoralen [3]. Because of its strong physiological activity, F. carica is considered to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, and blood sugar lowering effects [4,5]. F. carica is cultivated widely in China, primarily distributed in Xinjiang, Fujian, Shandong, and other places
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