The melon/cowpea intercropping system can be a specific and efficient cropping pattern in a horticultural field. Intercropping systems contribute to the optimization of land use, fostering sustainable and efficient agriculture. This study entails a first-year comparative intercropping assay using cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and melon (Cucumis melo) under organic management with different patterns and 30% less organic fertilization than usual in monocrops. We determined the soil nutrients, physicochemical properties, enzyme activities and microbes by high-throughput sequencing. We found that the intercropping system changed the bacterial community structure independently of the intercropping pattern. The bacterial community was characterized by a higher abundance of the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes phyla and of the genus Pseudomonas, which are related to nutrient cycling, and by greater amounts of other beneficial microorganisms like Bacillus, Streptomyces and Sphingomonas. The intercropped systems significantly boosted the total nitrogen, available phosphorus and total organic carbon levels in addition to the melon yield. They also enhanced the acid phosphatase and β-glucosidase activity compared to the melon monocrop. Results from this study suggest that melon/cowpea intercropping, starting from the first year, not only provides a stable supply of food and income due to the diversified cropping systems, but is also beneficial for the soil microbial community and environment.

甜瓜/豇豆间作系统可以是园艺领域中特定且高效的种植模式。间作系统有助于优化土地利用，促进可持续和高效农业。这项研究需要使用豇豆 ( Vigna unguiculata ) 和甜瓜 ( Cucumis melo )进行第一年的比较间作试验。) 采用不同模式的有机管理，有机施肥量比单一作物中的平时少 30%。我们通过高通量测序确定了土壤养分、理化性质、酶活性和微生物。我们发现间作系统独立于间作模式改变了细菌群落结构。细菌群落的特征是与营养循环有关的变形杆菌门和拟杆菌门和假单胞菌属的丰度较高，以及芽孢杆菌属、链霉菌属和鞘氨醇单胞菌等其他有益微生物的数量更多. 除了甜瓜产量外，间作系统还显着提高了总氮、有效磷和总有机碳水平。与甜瓜单一作物相比，它们还增强了酸性磷酸酶和 β-葡萄糖苷酶的活性。这项研究的结果表明，从第一年开始，甜瓜/豇豆间作不仅由于多样化的种植系统提供了稳定的食物和收入供应，而且对土壤微生物群落和环境也有好处。