Maize-legume intercropping effect on soil properties and CO2 concentration
2024
Romaneckas, Kestutis | Sinkeviciene, Ausra | Svereikaite, Austeja | Kimbirauskiene, Rasa | Vitulskis, Kristijonas | Balandaite, Jovita | Ginelevicius, Ugnius
The EU Greening program requested increasing the area of leguminous crops. The use of legumes as intercrops reduces both wind and water erosion, which has a positive effect on the yield of the main crops. Unfortunately, there is no precise scientific background of legume intercropping technologies in Lithuania. For this reason, a stationary short-term field experiment was started in 2022 at the Experimental Station of the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA), Lithuania (54°52′ N, 23°49′ E). The experimental soil is a silty loam Planosol (Endohypogleyic-Eutric – Ple-gln-w). The experiment consisted of maize (Zea mays L.) with legume intercrops, with a total of 6 treatments: 1. Inter-row loosening (control 1, K1); 2. Inter-row mulching with weeds (control 2, K2); 3. Faba bean intercropped (LUP); 4. Crimson clover intercropped (PUD); 5. Persian clover intercropped (PED); 6. Blue-flowered alfalfa (MEL) intercropped. Contrary to expectations, the slow development of the intercrops did not halt the physical erosion of the soil caused by the uneven precipitation. During the growing season, soil microstructure particles increased, and structural durability deteriorated. The CO2 concentration in the soil depended more on the amount of precipitation and the type of intercrops, but the highest soil CO2 concentrations at the beginning and the end of the growing season were in the control plots K1 and K2 without intercrops.
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Publisher Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
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