Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Soil-Root Dynamics in Maize-Beans-Eggplant Intercropping System under Organic Management in a Subtropical Region

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Intercropping is an agricultural system that facilitates mutualistic and commensalist interactions among crops. The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that intercropping with greater plant richness produces more roots that improves microbial activity, which in turn, contributes to soil physical structure that improves soil chemistry parameters, crop yield, and land use. We performed a field experiment in a randomized block design, utilizing beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), maize (Zea mays), and eggplant (Solanum melongena), under monoculture or intercropping systems. Root and soil biological, physical and chemical parameters, crop yield and land equivalent ratios were analyzed. Increased plant richness as a function of the intercropping system did not affect root and soil parameters. However, principal component analysis indicated that intercropping affected root density, mass, and length, which, in turn, contributed to the formation of soil aggregates, increased microbial activity and to the improvement of soil chemical parameters. Furthermore, as consequence of increased plant richness, the maize-beans-eggplant intercropping facilitated the positive interactions among the species and led to a Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) 60% higher than the monoculture systems. The production of roots in the crop systems, regardless of species richness, stimulates soil biological activity and affects the quality of physical structure and fertility indicators of the soil. Crop systems with higher richness of plant species promote positive interactions between plants and soil and results in a better land use ratio.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the staff of the Department of Soil and Agricultural Engineering and Canguiri Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná) and the student Valdeci Antônio dos Santos for their support in the accomplishment of this work. This research was supported by funding from the Post-Graduate Program in Soil Science of UFPR. The authors Cristhian Hernandez Gamboa, Jeidi Yasmin Galeano Cobos and Guilherme Alex da Costa acknowledge scholarships from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil (grant number 131406/2014–0).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristhian Hernandez Gamboa.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that no other persons have met the authorship criteria but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of the named authors.

We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including publication timing, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing, we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gamboa, C.H., Vezzani, F.M., Kaschuk, G. et al. Soil-Root Dynamics in Maize-Beans-Eggplant Intercropping System under Organic Management in a Subtropical Region. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 20, 1480–1490 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00227-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00227-9

Keywords

Navigation