Effect of intercropping sunflower with legumes on some sunflower morphological traits

Abstract

Given that climate change is a burning issue, agriculture must turn to more sustainable and environmentally friendly systems, counting intercropping. Within a two-year study of intercropping sunflower with legumes, the influence of this system on sunflower plant height and head diameter was investigated. The aim of research was to evaluate the effects of sunflower-legume intercropping on these traits, considering the possibility of competition between crops. The field trial was set up in April 2017 and 2018 at Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia experimental field in moderate-continental climate. Year 2017 was extremely arid with the sum of precipitation different compared to 2018. Plant height and head diameter of hybrids Rimi PR, Dukat and NS Gricko, intercropped with common vetch, red clover and alfalfa were compared with control, i.e. same sunflower hybrids grown as a sole crop. It was observed that intense growth of common vetch suppressed the growth of sunflower, and led to a decrease in measured traits in all three hybrids. Results indicated that the following combinations of sunflower and legumes are most desirable: NS Gricko/RC, Dukat/ALF, Dukat/RC and Rimi PR/ RC depending on the agro-ecological conditions. Given that the experiment was performed in years that varied significantly in agro-ecological conditions, the results indicated that red clover and alfalfa can mitigate the negative effects caused by lack of precipitation and high temperatures. In order to better understand all aspects of sunflowerlegume intercropping, further research, which should include other morphological, qualitative and quantitative indicators, is needed.

Agro-Morphological Traits of Inbred Sunflower Lines and their Genetic Assessment

“…Ćuk et al (2020) report that there is a high degree of variability in the quantitative traits of inbred sunflower lines created at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad. The results of this research are consistent with those ofĆirić et al (2013),Radić et al (2013),Hladni et al (2014),Babec et al (2020),Dar et al (2021) andKrstić et al (2021a).…”

“…Incomplete or inadequate fertilization (Miklič et al, 2011), diseases (Kaya & Day, 2008) and unfavorable weather conditions during grain filling (Angeloni et al, 2021) can greatly affect the seed size and/or 1000-seed weight of sunflowers. There are also statistically highly significant differences between the sunflower genotypes relative to their head diameters (Ćirić et al, 2013;Babec et al, 2020;Dar et al, 2021). Variations in the sunflower head diameter largely depend on the photosynthetic activity, which depends on the composition of plants per unit area (Saleem et al, 2019).…”

Simulation of the hail damage on regeneration and yield of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

“…During the past decade, more and more frequent occurrences of extreme weather conditions have cause great damage and losses to the agricultural sector (Bal et al, 2014). Unpredictable weather conditions in the region, particularly precipitation amounts and distribution, create fluctuations in agricultural yields (Vojnov et al, 2020;Babec et al, 2020). Although drought has been the most common occurrence in recent years, in the light of climate change, the appearance of hail has become more frequent (Nađ et al, 2021).…”

Effect of Different Tillage Practices in Sunflower (<em>Helianthus annuus</em>) Cultivation in a Crop Rotation System with Intercropping Triticosecale -Pisum sativum

“…Miller et al [16] have mentioned that pea fixes more atmospheric N than lentil and cowpea. Pisum sativum residues in a rotation system have beneficial effects on agronomic plant characteristics and on total crop production wherefore the nitrogen requirements of the succeeding crops reduce and additionally less nitrogen fertilizer applied [17]. According to Skoufogianni et al [18] the pea incorporation in a rotation system (pea -maize and pea -sunflower) increased the biomass and the nitrogen use efficiency.…”