Abstract
There is a lack of research on the practice of intercropping sugar beet and the impact of such agrocenoses on soil and crop fertility, especially under organic farming conditions. For this reason, a three-year stationary field experiment was performed at Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy, Lithuania. Sugar beet was grown continuously with intercropped Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L., MC), white mustard (Sinapis alba L., MM) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L., MB) as a living mulch. Inter-row loosening (CT) and mulching with ambient weeds (MW) were used as comparative treatments. The results showed that, under minimal fertilization, CT and intercropping increased the average content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil. However, the average content of magnesium was reduced in single cases (MW, MB), and the average content of sulphur was reduced in all cases. Intercropping significantly decreased the yields of sugar beet root-crop, but was mainly neutral in quality terms. The meteorological conditions during experimentation had a weak impact on root-crop quantity and quality. Generally, the practice of sugar beet intercropping requires more detailed research on how to minimize the competition between the sugar beet, living mulch and weeds, and how to balance the nutrition conditions.
Highlights
The ecological intensification of agriculture draws attention to the increase in agricultural production, as well as the optimal use of resources in harmony with the social and economic environment [1,2]
Sugar beet was intercropped with Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L., mulching with Persian clover (MC)), white mustard (Sinapis alba L., mulching with white mustard (MM)) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L., mulching with spring barley (MB)) as a living mulch
In the plots intercropped with Persian clover (MC), the soil pH decreased significantly compared with the control treatment (CT) and mulching with ambient weeds (MW) plots (Table 3)
Summary
The ecological intensification of agriculture draws attention to the increase in agricultural production, as well as the optimal use of resources in harmony with the social and economic environment [1,2]. Organic farming promotes biodiversity, which is the main concern associated with ecological intensification in agriculture [3]. Alexander et al [20] found that Kura clover living mulch increased soil bioactivity, initiating an increase in the content of N by 300%. This was a result of the biomass of legumes stimulating microbial activity in the soil, which promotes organic matter decomposition [9].
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