Comparison of resilience of different plant teams to drought and temperature extremes in Denmark in sole and intercropping systems

Abstract

Intercropping (IC) can reduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements, supress weeds, and improve crop yields and yield stability. Three field trials were conducted in Denmark in 2018 with intercropping and sole crops (SC) using spring wheat, barley, faba bean and field pea to compare productivity under five fertilizer levels.The trials were carried out using in a split-plot design with four. Anomalous weather during the 2018 cropping season created drought conditions and high temperatures above 31°C.No effect of fertilizer treatment was found, and total dry matter and grain yields were supressed in all systems. Wheat grain yields averaged 2.14 t ha −1 across systems, ranging from 1.58 t ha −1 as a component of the IC to 2.44 t ha −1 as SC, and barley grain yields averaged 2.35 t ha −1 . Faba bean yielded 1.78 t ha −1 as SC, but failed in the IC. Pea failed in both systems. Intercropping barley with cover crops had no effect on grain yield or total dry matter. These results suggest that intercropping provided no production advantage during a drought and illuminate the need to continue conducting research and breeding on drought-resistant cultivars.

The Effects of Incorporating Caraway into a Multi-Cropping Farming System on the Crops and the Overall Agroecosystem

“…Harvesting is also carried out in several stages, which makes it difficult to harvest in time without damaging other plants. According to the authors, for optimum plant growth, it is essential to select the right species for each other [20,29]. In multi-cropping system crops, plants often compete for nutrients, light, moisture, and space [6,29,30].…”

“…Growing multi-cropping system crops is not only an effective way to promote plant biodiversity but also facilitates the formation of plant relationships. In this system, legumes are a key functional group particularly valued for their soil improvement properties [19,20]. A large body of research has focused on co-cropping mixtures of legume, brassica, and cereal crops [21], the amount of essential nutrients accumulated in their mass and returned to the soil [22,23], and the influence of these crops on the yield of other crops grown [24].…”

“…A large body of research has focused on co-cropping mixtures of legume, brassica, and cereal crops [21], the amount of essential nutrients accumulated in their mass and returned to the soil [22,23], and the influence of these crops on the yield of other crops grown [24]. Legumes are also used as a source of biological nitrogen input, ensuring the sustainability of the agroecosystem and its ability to recover from heat waves [20]. Combinations of legume and cereal crops can be used to improve low-productivity soils.…”

Reply on RC1

“…2, yellow dashed line). It might also be reduced by species diversification in space (e.g., species-rich grasslands, mixed-species forests, intercropping, and drought-resistant species; (Grossiord et al, 2020;Haberstroh and Werner, 2022;McCarthy et al, 2021;Sears et al, 2021;Wright et al, 2021) or time (i.e., crop rotations; (Bowles et al, 2020;Marini et al, 2020;Renwick et al, 2021), but exacerbated by forest clear-cut through land-atmosphere interactions (Pongratz et al, 2009;Wu et al, 2017;Fig. 2, light blue dashed line).…”

Determining Factors Affecting the Soil Water Content and Yield of Selected Crops in a Field Experiment with a Rainout Shelter and a Control Plot in the Czech Republic

“…High temperatures combined with low rainfall led to a negative feedback loop where high temperatures increase evapotranspiration in already stressed plants, resulting in a greater water deficit [15]. This deficit also reduces the leaf cooling of plants through reduced transpiration and affects their overall development [16]. Thus, drought stress can reduce wheat yields by up to 50% [17] due to the significant reduction in plant growth and shoot production [18,19].…”