Legumes in cereal based intercropping adds N fixing Rhizobium population that adds N to the soil. Is there any addition of beneficial micro organisms in cereal+legume intercropping? Can anybody please provide supporting research/ published papers?
@ Sagar, there are large number of organisms which are beneficial under cereal+legume inter-cropping, they are mainly AM fungi like Glomus mossae, Glomus fasciculatum, many Azotobacter species, some Azospirillum species ,many P solubilizers, phosphatase & phytase producing fungi, some nitrobacter, S bacteria etc. The attach file may provide you some more information.
I would suggest a couple of excellent books and these are:
1) Nicolas Lampkin (Organic Farming) https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Farming-Nicolas-Lampkin/dp/0852361912
2) Stephen R. Gliessman (Agroecology. The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems) https://www.amazon.com/Agroecology-Ecology-Sustainable-Systems-Third-ebook/dp/B00UVAW5OI
Section III in this book (especially Chapt. 15, Species Interactions in Crops Communities) should be an excellent general reference to your topic of interest.
Intercropping system comprising of different crops (having different characteristics) are scientifically important for improving soil quality as well as fertility levels...
The term annidation I.e. complementary interaction between inter crops in the prevailing ecosystem (edaphic and atmospheric zone) is quite associated with intercropping...it is the main principle of intercropping system I.e. both the inter crops should have mutual complementary interaction so as to drive benefits from each intercrop...likewise, annidation in time and space..
These annidation is well documented when we talk about legume cereal intercropping system..
Annidation in time means both the crops should have different time for peak nutrients demand period...like in case of maize and pegionpea intercropping both the crops have different peak nutrients demand period resulting in balanced and efficient replenishment of nutrient from the soil...on the other hand annidation in space can be achieved as different vertical layers are there, like rooting pattern of both the crop , legume have deep or tap root system owing to extract moisture from deeper layer of the soil, while cereals having fibrous system where replenishment of water from shallow layer of soil..in this way , efficient utilization of water with negligible competition among inter crops...
How ever legume are known to have nodule which have symbiotic interaction with rhizobium bacteria resulting in fixations of nitrogen (from non available elemental form to available ionic from for plant uptake)..in this way, legume conserve the nitrogen in the soil, improving soil fertility by making good interaction between all soil physical chemical and biological properties of the soil..
i duly recommend the views of Dr Tarafdar. We should treat seeds of cereals with Azotobacter and phosphate solubilizing bacteria or with AM fungi, while legume crop with host specific rhizobia and PSB for better crop productivity and improvement of soil health.
We worked on sugarcane legume inter cropping Apart from N fixing we have showed increasing water holding capacity , soil compatibility soil texture .Phosphate mobalization may be due to AM fungi . Both crops showed increase in yield and mutual ism among the associated micro organisms.
In convergence of cereal-legume beneficiaries in LTE (long term field experiments) I would point out the improvements in microbial biomass, soil flux rate and subsequently basal soil respiration and substrate-induced respiration. CEC derived also from such improvement in soil quality e.g. SOC, humus and so forth.
@ Lakshminarasimhan & Yavar, great work you both have done. Initially for few decades, cereal-legume intercropping was much studies to estimate yield advantage and efficiency on the basis of competition functions. Recently, the below ground reality is studied. No doubt the recent researches will focus the way to agricultural sustainability.
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