Abstract
Background and objective: This study was conducted to promote a companion plant for building-integrated urban agriculture and determine appropriate spatial conditions for planting cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus), a companinon plant, in response to the increasing demands for eco-friendly agricultural practices in urban.Methods: The growth and quality of cherry tomatoes (CTs) and nasturtiums achieved with different planting ratios were analyzed: CC (when only CTs were planted), C2N1 (ratio of CTs to nasturtiums: 2:1), C1N1 (1:1), C1N2 (1:2), NC (when only nasturtiums were planted) on the rooftop and wall. A one-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the significance of test results based on planting ratios, followed by Duncan's multiple range test at a 95% confidence level. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to examine the growth and quality of CTs between the rooftop and wall.Results: Overall, CTs in CC showed significant growth compared to companion planting with nasturtiums. Among the treatment plots, the CTs in C2N1 had the highest plant weight and sugar concentrations on the rooftop. Similar patterns were observed on the wall. When planted in a 2:1 ratio as a companion plant to CTs (C2N1), nasturtiums had larger leaves and flowers. In terms of leaf size, plant weight, fruit weight, and sugar content CTs appeared to grow better on the wall than on the rooftop when planted with nasturtiums. For optimal CTs growth and quality, it is recommended to plant CTs in a 2:1 ratio with nasturtiums on the wall.Conclusion: Due to the distinctive spatial features of urban agriculture using buildings, specialized management strategies for different crops should be suggested. Further research should focus on a quantitative analysis of fruit and seed quality, as well as on a qualitative analysis to comprehensively understand the potential outcomes.
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