Abstract
Multi-cropping systems play an important role in improving the quality of soil properties. A field experiment was carried at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (Lithuania) in 2017 to 2019. The aim of the study was to compare agrophysical and biological properties of the soil in the multi-cropping systems of sole (spring barley, spring wheat, pea, caraway), binary (spring barley–caraway, spring wheat–caraway, pea–caraway) and trinary (spring barley–caraway–white clover, spring wheat–caraway–white clover, pea–caraway–white clover) crops. In the second and the third years of caraway cultivation, when solely caraway was grown, the total nitrogen content was significantly lower than in binary and trinary crops (8.5% and 17.4%, respectively). The results indicated that the highest organic carbon content was in the third year of caraway cultivation in trinary crop when caraway was grown with peas and white clover. In the third year, the highest saccharase and urease activity was found in trinary crop where caraway was grown with spring barley and white clover. A strong positive correlation was observed between the content of saccharase and urease and the total nitrogen, organic carbon, and potassium available in the soil. The results of the study suggest that multi-cropping is important for soil conservation and the sustainability of agro-ecosystems.
Highlights
At the end of the growing season in 2017, the total nitrogen content was significantly higher in the soil under binary crops of spring barley with caraway and pea with caraway and a trinary crop of pea with caraway and white clover by 15.8, 17.4, and 19.3%, respectively, compared to the sole crops of the aforementioned plants (Table 1)
The soil of binary and trinary crops had a better nutrient balance compared to the soil of sole crops
The total nitrogen, organic carbon, available phosphorus and potassium in the soil increased the most in binary and trinary crops during the third year of caraway cultivation compared to the initial level
Summary
Over the last five decades, advances in agriculture have made it possible to meet the world’s highest demands for food, feed, and fibre [1]. Sustaining the needs of an ever-increasing population is challenging due to widespread urbanisation, severe land degradation, and climate change [2]. Successful adaptation to and mitigation of climate change through agricultural management requires the development of simple, costeffective, and largely scalable approaches. An agricultural management strategy is essential [3]. The solution to these challenges is to achieve the long-term sustainable use of resources, taking into account the ecological and economic aspects of sustainability. Eco-efficiency is about achieving more agricultural production with fewer resources [4]. Multi-cropping systems could increase crop diversity and avoid vulnerability to biotic stress [5], as well as ensure the sustainability of agriculture and increase crop and food production while reducing land use [6,7]
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