Species Interactions Improve Above-Ground Biomass and Land Use Efficiency in Intercropped Wheat and Chickpea under Low Soil Inputs
Mourad Latati,
Peter Dokukin,
Adel Aouiche,
Nazih Yacer Rebouh,
Riad Takouachet,
Elalia Hafnaoui,
Fatima Zohra Hamdani,
Fadila Bacha,
Sidi Mohamed Ounane
Affiliations
Mourad Latati
Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassane Badi, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Peter Dokukin
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow 117198, Russia
Adel Aouiche
Ecole Supérieure des Sciences des Aliments et d’Industrie Agroalimentaire d’Alger (ESSAIA), Avenue Ahmed Hamidouche, Route de Beaulieu, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Nazih Yacer Rebouh
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow 117198, Russia
Riad Takouachet
Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassane Badi, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Elalia Hafnaoui
Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassane Badi, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Fatima Zohra Hamdani
Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassane Badi, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Fadila Bacha
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique d’Algérie (INRAA), Division Science du sol, Beraki 16200, Algeria
Sidi Mohamed Ounane
Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassane Badi, El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Little is known about how the performance of legumes symbiosis affects biomass and nutrient accumulation by intercropped cereals under the field condition. To assess the agricultural services of an intercropping system; durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum L.cv. VITRON) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.cv. FLIP 90/13 C) were cultivated as both intercrops and sole cropping during two growing seasons under the field trial, to compare plant biomass, nodulation, N and phosphorus (P) uptake, and N nutrition index. Both the above-ground biomass and grain yield and consequently, the amount of N taken up by intercropped durum wheat increased significantly (44%, 48%, and 30%, respectively) compared with sole cropping during the two seasons. However, intercropping decreased P uptake by both durum wheat and chickpea. The efficiency in use of rhizobial symbiosis (EURS) for intercropped chickpea was significantly higher than for chickpea grown as sole cropping. The intercropped chickpea considerably increased N (49%) and P (75%) availability in durum wheat rhizosphere. In the case of chickpea shoot, the N nutrition (defined by the ratio between actual and critical N uptake by crop) and acquisition were higher in intercropping during only the first year of cropping. Moreover, biomass, grin yield, and resource (N and P) use efficiency were significantly improved, as indicated by higher land equivalent ratio (LER > 1) in intercropping over sole cropping treatments. Our findings suggest that change in the intercropped chickpea rhizosphere-induced parameters facilitated P and N uptake, above-ground biomass, grain yield, and land use efficiency for wheat crop.
