Effect of cereal-legume intercrops on the soil enzymatic activity

Authors

  • Attila Rácz Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Plant Production Scientific Institute, CropProduction Research Center, Crop Production and Agrotechnical Research Station, Alsó Kikötő sor 9. 6726, Szeged, Hungary; Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Development and Management, Páter Károly u. 1. 2100, Gödöllő, Hungary e-mail: Racz.Attila@uni-mate.hu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-7493
  • Melinda Tar Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Plant Production Scientific Institute, Crop Production Research Center, Crop Production and Agrotechnical Research Station, Alsó Kikötő sor 9. 6726, Szeged, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9630-7140
  • Marianna Vályi-Nagy Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Plant Production Scientific Institute, Crop Production Research Center, Crop Production and Agrotechnical Research Station, Alsó Kikötő sor 9. 6726, Szeged, Hungary
  • Apolka Ujj Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Development and Management, Páter Károly u. 1. 2100, Gödöllő, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8986-1215
  • István Kristó Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Plant Production Scientific Institute, CropProduction Research Center, Crop Production and Agrotechnical Research Station, Alsó Kikötő sor 9. 6726, Szeged, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7741-2546

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18380/SZIE.COLUM.2022.9.2.123

Keywords:

soil enzyme activity, cereal-pea intercrops, plant associations, winter pea

Abstract

Sowing and harvesting cereals with legumes is an old crop production practice. The main goal of cultivation is to make the best use of the area and to increase the quality and yield of the crops. The intercropping of cereals and legumes can stimulate the biological activity of the soil, thus increasing the recycling of soil organic matter. Competition between two or more plants has a positive effect on the nitrogen fixation of legumes. In organic form the soil enzyme activity increasing is more effective which is provided by the winter pea (Pisum sativum L.) in this crop production system. We set up our experiment at the experimental sites of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Plant Production and Agrotechnical Research Station, Szeged-Öthalom and Fülöpszállás in 2020/2021. The experiments were performed on 10 m2 plots, in four replicates, with four cereals and one winter pea species, in different phenological phases. We were used fluorescein diacetate to determine the total microbial activity of the soil. As the phenophases progress, the enzymatic activity of the soil decreases, and activity is affected by soil type. The soil enzyme activity was lower on meadow chernozem soil and higher on calcareous meadow soil. Cereal-legume intercrop systems are better able to adapt to drought. The values are higher in cereal-legume intercropping system than in cereals sowed alone. Based on our results, it can be concluded that the enzymatic activity of the soil can be increased by using soil inoculation with bacteria and mycorrhiza fungi preparations.

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Published

2022-12-30

How to Cite

Effect of cereal-legume intercrops on the soil enzymatic activity. (2022). COLUMELLA – Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 9(2), 123-133. https://doi.org/10.18380/SZIE.COLUM.2022.9.2.123

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