Effect of intercropping on the morphological and nutritional properties of carrots and onions in organic agriculture

Abstract

A trial involving intercropped and pure stands of carrots 'Nantes' and onions 'Kupusinski jabučar' was conducted on a certified organic farm in Futog. The yield, morphological and nutritional properties of the crops analyzed were determined in the study. Furthermore, the biological efficiency of intercropping was assessed using the relative yield (RYT) and the land use efficiency index (LER). The mixture of crops had influenced the morphological properties examined. In both experimental plant species, the nutritional properties of onions and carrots exhibited a higher content of dry matter (DM) in the double-row growing system without maize gluten meal (onions-11.42 %, carrots-10.45 %) compared to single crops. The highest content of β-carotene was determined by alternating single rows of onions and carrots in a plot without the use of gluten (68.94 μg/g DM). The relative yield and the land use efficiency index have shown that there is a biological efficiency of combining carrots and onion as the values obtained are higher than 1. Carrots and black onions are favorable for intercropping because they are complementary, thus interactively contribute to increasing the yield per unit area and improving the nutritional properties.

Effect of intercropping sunflower with legumes on some sunflower morphological traits

“…The literature indicates significant benefits of intercropping in terms of increased yield per unit area, better use of available resources, significantly reduced use of pesticides, etc. (Bokan et al, 2016;Martin-Guay et al, 2018;Šeremešić et al, 2018). Legumes can have a beneficial effect on yield, and other plant characteristics while reducing the cost of nitrogen and pesticide application, and therefore positive effect on profits (Ugrenović et al, 2014).…”

Agroecological concepts and alternatives to the problems of contemporary agriculture: Monoculture and chemical fertilization in the context of climate change

“…(Iqbal et al, 2019;X. F. Li et al, 2018;Šeremešić et al, 2018;Solanki et al, 2020;Taschen et al, 2017;Willey, 1990; Split fertilization Split application of fertilizers over time can match supply and demand, improving efficiency and limiting contamination Organic fertlization Such as manure and compost, positively influence carbon and nitrogen dynamics, enhance microbial communities, and increase enzymatic activities in the soil (Bi et al, 2019;Elouattassi et al, 2023;He et al, 2021;Hei et al, 2022;Liang et al, 2020;Rezaei-Chiyaneh et al, 2020;Shah et al, 2021;Sun et al, 2021;Zyada et al, 2022) Biofertilizers Bacteria, fungi, algae or biological compounds including plant growth-promoting bacteria, are an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fertilizers, ensuring nutrient availability to host plants.…”

Potential of Sunflower-Legume Intercropping: A Way Forward in Sustainable Production of Sunflower in Temperate Climatic Conditions

“…Although it is a centuries-old farming system, intercropping can be considered as one of the solutions for 21st century agriculture, and applied in order to improve resource use efficiency and yield stability. Some of the reasons for intercropping are increased yields of crops by more efficient utilization of soil and rainfall in a growing area, better disease, pest, and weed control, more uniform distribution of labour and saleable produce over a calendar year, greater stability of annual yields compared to sole-cropping, more effective control of erosion, decrease or elimination of the need for commercial fertilizers, reduced risk of crop failure, and many others [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”