Soil Biological Properties in the Agroecosystems With Diverse and Multifunctional Crop Cultivation

Abstract

The multifunctional cropping system is important for improving soil properties, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The roots of different plant species take up moisture and nutrients at different rhythms and intensities. Interactions between plants and interspecific competition between them promote plant rooting. Competition is also largely avoided during the course of vegetation. Growing multifuctional crops is not only important for more efficient use of nutrients, but also contributes to mitigating climate change by meeting EU environmental requirements. Research shows that the cultivation of multipurpose crops has reduced CO2 emissions from the soil. The decrease in CO2 emissions from the soil in multifunctional crops is due to carbon sequestration. The field experiment was carried out in 2019, 2020 and 2021 at the VMU Academy of Agriculture Experimental Station. The aim of the study was to compare soil biological properties (plant root dry biomass, CO2 emission from the soil and soil aggregate-size distribution) in sole (spring barley, spring wheat, peas, caraway), binary (spring barley and caraway, spring wheat and caraway, peas and caraway) and trinary (spring barley, caraway and white clover, spring wheat, caraway and white clover, and peas, caraway and white clover) crops. The binary and trinary crops produced a significantly higher plant root dry biomass in the main crops (1.5 to 2.2 times), second (2.8 to 3.4 times), and third (up to 2.9 times) years of caraway cultivation compared to the sole crop. The plant root dry biomass was found to be significantly higher in the trinary crop than in the binary crop. In the main crops, the second and third years of caraway cultivation, the CO2 emission from the soil increased most in the trinary crop compared to the sole and binary crop. The significantly lowest soil CO2 emission was found in the black fallow left after the caraway harvest.