Intercropping with legume for agroecological cropping systems: Complementarity and facilitation processes and the importance of soil microorganisms. A review

Abstract

Intercropping is a powerful way to promote a more diversified plant community in the field, thereby enabling complementary and facilitative relationships. In these systems, legumes are a key functional group, and are highly valued for the agroecological services they provide. This review identifies the different complementarity and facilitation processes in soils in intercropped legume/cereal systems and the key role of soil microorganisms in these processes. The intercropped legumes/cereal systems reduce inter-specific competition by enhancing complementarity/facilitation processes thereby improving the exploitation of resources, which is, in turn, reflected in the increase in plant production corresponding to greater efficiency of the agroecosystem as a whole. Plant production, including above-and belowground biomass, is positively correlated with microbial abundance and diversity. This microbial life is assumed to play a significant role in the availability and transfer of soil nutrients to plants as well as in plant health and soil fertility. Although we are currently unable to identify a reliable and exhaustive pattern of plant-microbe interactions, perhaps simply because no universal relationship exists between plants and microorganisms, reliable scenarios reveal strong trends and define the conditions required for successful intercropping systems and microbial interactions. Given our incomplete knowledge of facilitation processes and belowground interactions, intercropping systems must learn from and apply the experience gained in successful experiments. Intercropping dynamics play a critical role in explaining the establishment of facilitative root interactions and finally suggest perennial plant associations may be more effective than annual ones.

Neighbouring plants modify maize root foraging for phosphorus: coupling nutrients and neighbours for improved nutrient‐use efficiency

“…For example, increasing biodiversity in agriculture (e.g. intercropping) could enhance soil fertility without external inputs and protect crops against pests and diseases while ensuring adequate crop productivity (see, e.g., Brooker et al, 2015;Gaba et al, 2014;Duchene et al, 2017;Isbell et al, 2017;Weiner, 2017). However, the success of this agroecological practice depends to a great extent on local field conditions and is still potentially diminished by competition between intercropped species, particularly when influenced by unfavourable local climate, growth conditions, fertilization practices or choice of species (Hauggaard-Nielsen & Jensen, 2005).…”

Traditional agriculture: a climate-smart approach for sustainable food production

“…Legumes make a symbiotic association with Traditional agriculture: a climate-smart approach for sustainable food production 301 rhizobium bacteria that help in nitrogen fixation (Duchene et al 2017). Leguminous crops not only reduce the N 2 O emission from agricultural fields but also enhance the release and turnover of mineralizable N-containing compounds in soil (Rochette and Janzen 2005;Jensen et al 2010;Scalise et al 2017).…”

Composición física y química de los suelos fluviovolcánicos de Armero Tolima, Colombia

“…Para el tercer estudio solo las asociaciones vegetales Panicetum y Ficetum fueron notables y se notó un amplio cubrimiento de las leguminosas en todos los sectores; el número de especies disminuyó considerablemente y para el último estudio se registraron 195 especies, con dominio del hábito de crecimiento arbóreo y arbustivo. Es evidente la acción de las leguminosas como grupo funcional clave en el mejoramiento de la calidad del suelo, teniendo en cuenta, los servicios agroecológicos que proporcionan en cuanto al aumento de la vegetación, incremento de biomasa e influencia positiva en la abundancia y diversidad microbiana (Duchene, et al, 2017).…”