Abstract
The high use of pesticides, herbicides, and unsustainable farming practices resulted in losses of soil quality. Sustainable farming practices such as intercropping could be a good alternative to traditional monocrop, especially using legumes such as cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L. Walp ). In this study, different melon and cowpea intercropping patterns (melon mixed with cowpea in the same row (MC1); alternating one melon row and one cowpea row (MC2); alternating two melon rows and one cowpea row (MC3)) were assayed to study the intercropping effect on soil bacterial community through 16S rRNA region in a 3-year experiment. The results indicated that intercropping showed high content of total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium, melon yield, and bacterial diversity as well as higher levels of beneficial soil microorganisms such a Pseudomonas, Aeromicrobium, Niastella , or Sphingomonas which can promote plant growth and plant defense against pathogens. Furthermore, intercropping showed a higher rare taxa diversity in two (MC1 and MC2) out of the three intercropping systems. In addition, N-cycling genes such as nirB, nosZ , and amoA were more abundant in MC1 and MC2 whereas the narG predicted gene was far more abundant in the intercropping systems than in the monocrop at the end of the 3-year experiment. This research fills a gap in knowledge about the importance of soil bacteria in an intercropping melon/cowpea pattern, showing the benefits to yield and soil quality with a decrease in N fertilization.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium.
- Taxon
- melon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis meloe0 - Treatment
- intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammoniume0
- Direction
- highe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“intercropping showed high content of total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium, melon yield, and bacterial diversity”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased melon yield.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis meloe0
- Treatment
- intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- melon yielde0
- Direction
- highe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“intercropping showed high content of total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium, melon yield, and bacterial diversity”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased bacterial diversity.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis meloe0
- Treatment
- intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- bacterial diversitye0
- Direction
- highe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“intercropping showed high content of total organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium, melon yield, and bacterial diversity”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased levels of several beneficial soil microorganisms.
- Outcome
- levels of beneficial soil microorganismse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Qualifier
- Pseudomonas, Aeromicrobium, Niastella , or Sphingomonase0
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“higher levels of beneficial soil microorganisms such a Pseudomonas, Aeromicrobium, Niastella , or Sphingomonas”
Claim · model-written summary
MC1 and MC2 had higher rare taxa diversity.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“intercropping showed a higher rare taxa diversity in two (MC1 and MC2) out of the three intercropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
N-cycling genes nirB, nosZ and amoA were more abundant in MC1 and MC2.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“N-cycling genes such as nirB, nosZ , and amoA were more abundant in MC1 and MC2”
Claim · model-written summary
The predicted narG gene was more abundant in intercropping than monocropping after three years.
- Treatment
- intercropping systemse0
- Gene
- narGe0
- Outcome
- narG predicted genee0
- Direction
- far more abundante0
- Qualifier
- at the end of the 3-year experimente0
- Comparator
- monocrope0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the narG predicted gene was far more abundant in the intercropping systems than in the monocrop at the end of the 3-year experiment”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.