The Effect of Nitrogen Supply on Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency by Wheat–Chickpea Intercropping System under Rain-Fed Mediterranean Conditions

Fatma-Zohra Bouras, Salah Hadjout, Benalia Haddad, Asma Malek, Sonia Aitmoumene, Feriel Gueboub, Luiza Metrah, Bahia Zemmouri, Omar Kherif, Nazih-Yacer Rebouh and Mourad Latati ()
Additional contact information
Fatma-Zohra Bouras: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Salah Hadjout: Centre de Recherche en Aménagement du Territoire—CRAT, Campus Universitaire Zouaghi Slimane, Constantine 25000, Algeria
Benalia Haddad: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Asma Malek: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Sonia Aitmoumene: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Feriel Gueboub: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Luiza Metrah: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Bahia Zemmouri: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Omar Kherif: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
Nazih-Yacer Rebouh: Department of Environmental Management, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, 117198 Moscow, Russia
Mourad Latati: Laboratoire d’Amélioration Intégrative des Productions Végétales (C2711100), Département de Productions Végétales, Avenue Hassane Badi, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ES1603), El Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: It is well known that legume–cereal intercropping systems are more efficient in terms of resources use, in particular nitrogen (N) and water. However, the response of this cropping system to water and N co-limitation was poorly studied in most of the recent field researches. The present study aims to assess the relationship between N and water use efficiency (NUE and WUE) by chickpea–durum wheat intercropping under contrasted climate and N supply conditions. Field experiments were carried out during the 2021/2022 growing season, in three sites located at both sub-humid and semi-arid regions. WUE, NUE, aboveground biomass, grain yield and crop physiological parameters for either intercropped chickpea or durum wheat were assessed and compared to the respective measurements in monocultures among all N-fertilizer level × site treatments. The results showed that WUE relative to grain yield (WUE GY ) and biomass (WUE YB ) were significantly higher in sole cropped wheat under the conditions of the three studied sites, except for WUE YB in S2, in which intercropping increased WUE YB by +0.46 and +1.03 kg m −3 , as compared respectively, to monoculture under low application of N fertilizer. As compared to chickpea monoculture, intercropping increased WUE GY by more than 0.30 and 0.57 kg m −3 under semi-arid conditions (S1 and S3) over three N-application doses, and by more than 0.18 kg m −3 under sub-humid conditions (S2). Simultaneously, NUE was significantly increased by intercropping, where in the mixed crop the highest values were noted as compared to sole-cropped durum wheat and chickpea. However, reducing the N-application dose leads to a gradual increase in NUE by more than 4.44 kg kg −1 . As a consequence, intercropping enhanced protein accumulation in the grain yield of mixed crops by more than 30 kg ha −1 as compared to sole-cropped durum wheat, in particular under moderate N-application and sub-humid climate. Indeed, average chlorophyll content was increased (7.8%) in intercropped durum wheat under all applied N-doses in sub-humid conditions. Rain-fed chickpea–wheat intercropping promotes an improvement in growth and yield quality thanks to simultaneous optimization of water and N use under low and moderate N-application in both semi-arid and sub-humid climates.

Keywords: chickpea; intercropping; water use; protein; nitrogen fertilizer; climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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