Effects of Fallopia multiflora–Andrographis paniculata intercropping model on yield, quality, soil nutrition and rhizosphere microorganisms of F. multiflora

AIMS: We aimed to explore the effects of Fallopia multiflora–Andrographis paniculata intercropping model on yield, quality, soil nutrition and rhizosphere microorganisms of F. multiflora, an important raw material of a traditional Chinese medicine. The data will provide empirical evidence for the application and promotion of the system in agricultural production. METHODS: F. multiflora’s yield, potential medicinal quality, and rhizosphere soil nutrient contents, pH, enzyme activities, and microbial characteristics (such as diversity and structure of the bacterial community) were compared between the intercropped system and a monoculture of F. multiflora. RESULTS: Compared with the monoculture of F. multiflora, F. multiflora–A. paniculata intercropping significantly increased the stem diameter, root fresh weight, yield and stilbene glycoside content of F. multiflora. The activities of urease and sucrase and the amounts of bacteria and actinomycetes in rhizosphere soil of intercropped F. multiflora were significantly higher than those in rhizosphere soil of the monoculture. Intercropping increased the diversity of rhizosphere bacteria and the relative abundances of potentially beneficial microorganisms. Correlation analysis shows that the yield and quality of F. multiflora were closely related to urease and invertase activities, alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen content, soil organic matter content, bacterial biomass, and pH. The results of principal component analysis show that the score of intercropping soil was higher than that of monoculture soil. CONCLUSIONS: A. paniculata intercropping has a significant impact on the rhizosphere soil of F. multiflora, and can improve the yield and quality of F. multiflora by improving the rhizosphere soil ecological environment and soil quality.